GreenMatthews: Gaudete! at Quay Arts brings Christmas music with six centuries to draw on to the evening performance at 7.30pm on 12 December. Chris Green and Sophie Matthews expand their line-up for this concert, joined by Emily Baines on early woodwinds and Richard Heacock on violin. If you enjoy carols but want to hear beyond the songs playing in every shop, this gives you an afternoon or evening with musicians exploring the season’s wider traditions.
The programme moves from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, combining Christmas carols, winter folk songs and dance tunes. Historical instruments help give the arrangements their character, with bagpipes, shawms, hurdy-gurdy and mandocello among the sounds described in the programme. GreenMatthews’ touring Christmas shows have developed over twelve years; Gaudete! adds the guest players and new arrangements to that work. The interest lies in hearing how familiar seasonal themes change with the instruments and the people playing them.
Choose the evening performance when booking, with a 7.30pm start. Standard advance tickets cost £19.75 including the £1.75 box office fee. The café and bar open from 6.30pm, with theatre doors at 7pm, giving you time to meet before the music begins. The Anthony Minghella Theatre gives the concert an indoor setting for a December live music outing, whether you come with a partner or a friend who loves folk traditions. Check your ticket’s performance time before arranging to meet, as the same day also has another session.
Organised by GreenMatthews