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Many Messiahs: Christmas choral highlights in Oxford

Many Messiahs: Christmas choral highlights in Oxford
Choristers singing at Christ Church. The cathedral organises an annual 'Be A Chorister For An Afternoon' event, this year on 11 January.

Will Dawes, Director of Chapel Music at Somerville College, curates a selection of choral delights for the festive season – from the Messiah to Midnight Mass.

You’re humming it already.

Whilst the big day is still about a month away, the season of shopping, festivity, and celebration in these darker evenings is very much already with us. In this city, packed with exceptional offerings of high quality music, here are plenty of occasions where you can get into the spirit, either as an observer or participant. 

Many Messiahs

Handel’s musical depiction of the story of Christ is always a hugely popular piece at Christmas, and as always Oxford has multiple options at this time of year. These are not short performances, with most having a run time of about 2.5 hours – hopefully with an interval or two!

Personally, if I had to choose, I’d go to the Instruments of Time & Truth performance as it’s a long-running annual event from a brilliant team of musicians, led by Edward Higginbottom (former New College director of music). You can be home for dinner, and by that stage it’ll hopefully feel properly Christmassy.

Carol services

Traditional carol services run throughout Advent, with Advent Carols nearer the start of December, and Christmas Carols in the ‘Nine Lessons and Carols’ ilk nearer the 25th.

There are so many to choose from here, including numerous from all the brilliant college choirs within Oxford University. Most of these are open to the public.

Almost all church events are free; most will require booking your place as they are massively popular events. But if you just want to turn up and enjoy the event without signing up in advance, these two are your best bet, both known for their very high quality choirs:

A group of people singing in front of a golden alter
Photo by Green Liu / Unsplash

Carol Concerts

If there’s something about a Christian service that puts you off, but you still want to experience pretty much all the same music, these choirs will fulfil your Christmas wish. As you would expect for a concert, you pay for your ticket and often have less opportunity to join in.

yellow light bokeh in bokeh photography
Photo by Benjamin Muntz / Unsplash

Carol… erm, something in between

  • Follow the Stars, Friday 6 December, 8pm
    If you want good music, famous actors, applause, a blessing from the Bishop of Oxford, a good sing-song of hymns, and more importantly want to support the valuable work of Macmillan Cancer Support, this is an absolute must. At Christ Church Cathedral.
The Nativity figurine closeup photography
Photo by Ben White / Unsplash

Midnight Mass, Christmas Eve

The first liturgy of Christmastide is traditionally sung as Christmas Eve gives way to Christmas Day – always a magical service. It’s good for those who want to go to church on Christmas Day, but who prefer the comforts of home on Christmas morning.

* If you’re wondering why this start time is rather unorthodox, perhaps Team Clarion will run an article about Christ Church time soon?

red and black metal lantern lighted
Photo by Josh Harrison / Unsplash

Our grateful thanks to Will for this expertly informed guide. One of the joys of editing the Clarion is that, as we have no advertisers and no revenue targets, we can feature whatever content we wish as long as it's about Oxford and would interest someone new to Oxford; or someone who's lived here forever; or, ideally, both. Sacred choral and organ music is undergoing something of a renaissance right now – as anyone who's seen Anna Lapwood's Instagram will surely know – but in Oxford, it never went away. We are all the Clarion.