On Friday 8 December at 7.30pm, London Mozart Players (LMP) and (registered charity) BH Live will be co-presenting a brand-new festive spectacular, celebrating local talent, musicians and voices at Croydon’s Fairfield Halls.

London-based conductor Tori Longdon will lead LMP’s brass ensemble and a massed choir of local singers including Croydon Voices, Croydon Bach, Croydon Philharmonic and Old Palace of John Whitgift School Choirs. Together they will raise the roof with a selection of Christmas No.1s. and traditional sing-along carols including O Come All Ye Faithful and Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

Joining the ensemble, will be 23-year-old organist Matt Walters, AKA ‘Reductio’, who will play a solo Christmas medley and an organ voluntary.

Steve Turner, Associate Director of Venues for BH Live,which manages Fairfield Halls, said “We are delighted to work with our resident orchestra LMP on another exciting project, this time to create a festive showstopper packed with seasonal cheer at the iconic Fairfield Halls during Croydon’s term as London Borough of Culture.” 

Ahead of this event, LMP is also presenting a free-to-attend festive showcase in the Fairfield Halls’ Arnhem foyer from 4pm-7.30pm. Visitors can expect to see music and dance performances from local groups including Beeja Dance, Harris Academy South Norwood Choir, Desiz in London and S.I.N.G a capella choir along with free family craft activities and face painting. As part of a two-day festival of free inclusive festive events across Croydon town centre, the pre-concert showcase is funded and supported by This is Croydon: The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan’s, London Borough of Culture.

Flynn Le Brocq, LMP Chief Executive, commented: “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with BH Live and local cultural partners for our Christmas spectacular. We were extremely proud to have opened This is Croydon in April 2023 with Oratorio of Hope and we are excited to have the opportunity to bring the Croydon community together once again.”

Fairfield Halls has a long history of staging concerts by some of the world’s most notable classical artists and symphony orchestras, in its world-class concert hall.

The 2023/24 International Orchestral Concert Series has seen some of the most eminent and sought-after global ensembles come to Croydon, including the Armenian State Symphony, The Swedish Philharmonia and the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Concerto Budapest, and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine.

Future concerts in the series include the Symphony Orchestra of India (Tuesday 5 December 2023), China Shenzen Symphony Orchestra (Friday 22 March 2024), and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra (Thursday 16 May 2024).