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Oxford Harmonic Choir: Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio
29 November 2025 @ 7.30pm to 9.00pm
About Oxford Harmonic Choir: Saint-Saëns Christmas Oratorio
Finzi In Terra Pax | Bruch Greeting to the Holy Night
Christmas will be celebrated this year with 4 lesser-known works from 3 very contrasting traditions. Saint-Saëns’ Oratorio de Noël (1858) is delicate and pastoral, with impressively rich instrumental colours despite the small size of the orchestra used.
Gerald Finzi’s In terra pax (Peace on Earth, 1954) is as wintry as it is quintessentially English, but is filled with glimmers of light that shine through its general atmosphere of wistful nostalgia.
Max Bruch’s Gruß an die heilige Nacht (Greeting to the Holy Night, 1892) uses huge chords to create a subdued, reverent atmosphere entirely appropriate to the significance of Christ’s Nativity.
Lastly, the arrangement of several well-known carols, Gustav Holst’s Christmas Day (1910), offers a seasonal dose of comforting familiarity.
Tickets
Please see important booking information below.
Booking information
Ticket prices:
£15.00 – £30.00
A fee of £1.50 per transaction applies to bookings for this event across all channels – website, phone and in-person bookings at the Box Office. The fee is waived for Oxford Playhouse members.
Dates & times:
Saturday 29 November 2025 at 7.30pm
Doors open at 7.00pm
Running time:
1 hour 30 minutes, including an interval
About the Sheldonian Theatre
Home to ceremonial occasions and a raft of exciting events, the magnificent and versatile Sheldonian Theatre is the focal point of the University of Oxford and is a unique space to experience live music.
To see an interactive map of the theatre, click here.
Find out more about the Sheldonian Theatre, including facilities, access and venue information.
