Christmas Celebrations
Thursday 18/12/25, 7.30pm
BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff
Friday 19/12/25, 7.30pm
Brangwyn Hall, Swansea
Various, arr. Balcombe A Christmas Overture 3’
Herman, arr. Balcombe We Need a Little Christmas 4’
Cahm & Styne, arr. Balcombe Let it Snow 2’
Wilson, arr. Balcombe It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas 3’
Cappeau & Adam, arr. Balcombe O Holy Night 3’
Stanley, Taylor, Brooks, arr. Balcombe The Man with the Bag 3’
Armstrong, arr. Balcombe Glasgow Theme (from Love Actually)2’
Parish & Anderson, arr. Balcombe Sleigh Ride 2’
Connor, arr. Balcombe I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus 3’
Dammicco & Jay, arr. Balcombe When a Child is Born 2’
Pola & Wyle, arr. Balcombe It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year 2’
INTERVAL: 20 minutes
Jarre, arr. Balcombe Lara’s Theme (from Dr Zhivago) 4’
Rollins & Nelson, arr. Balcombe Frosty the Snowman 3’
Javits, Springer & Ebb, arr. Balcombe Santa Baby 3’
Tormé & Wells Christmas Song 3’
Gannon & Kent I’ll Be Home for Christmas 4’
Anderson-Lopez & Lopez, arr. Balcombe Let it Go! (from Frozen) 3’
Various, arr. Balcombe Christmas at the Movies 5’
Loesser, arr. Balcombe Baby, it’s Cold Outside 4’
Trad., arr. Rutter, arr. Balcombe The Twelve Days of Christmas 4’
Carey, Afanasieff, John & Taupin, arr. Balcombe All I Want/Step into Christmas 5’
Martin & Blane, arr. Balcombe Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas 4’
Berlin, arr. Balcombe White Christmas 2’
Richard Balcombeconductor
Katie Birtill singer
Graham Bickley singer
The concert is being recorded by BBC Radio Wales for broadcast on 25 December; it will be available for 30 days after broadcast via BBC Sounds, where you can also find podcasts and music mixes.
Introduction
A warm welcome to our annual celebration of all things Christmassy, for which BBC NOW is joined by conductor Richard Balcombe and stars of the West End Katie Birtill and Graham Bickley.
The programme takes us on a magical sleighride, offering a jazzy twist on Christmas favourites from the classics right up to the present day. To get us in the mood is the upbeat A Christmas Overture, one of several numbers where tonight’s conductor shows his gifts as an arranger.
Music from much-loved movies such as Dr Zhivago, Frozen and Love Actually rubs shoulders with traditional pieces such as O Holy Night and The Twelve Days of Christmas, spiced up with jazzy numbers including I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus and Baby, it’s Cold Outside before reaching the climax of the concert with White Christmas.
Wishing our audiences a Happy Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year!
Lisa Tregale
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Biographies
Richard Balcombe conductor
Richard Balcombeis firmly established as one of the most versatile musicians of his generation.
In opera he has conducted The Gondoliers (English National Opera), TheBarber of Seville (Ulster Orchestra), TheMagic Flute and Offenbach’s Bluebeard (English Chamber Orchestra), Rigoletto (English Touring Opera), Madama Butterfly (Central Festival Opera), Die Fledermaus, The Merry Widow, The Mikado, HMS Pinafore, The Gondoliers and The Pirates of Penzance (Carl Rosa) and HMS Pinafore and The Mikado (D’Oyly Carte Opera Company in the UK and America). He has also conducted for Sir Bryn Terfel, José Carreras and Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu.
He has worked with leading orchestras, including the Bournemouth, BBC Scottish, Estonian National, Gothenburg, Odense and Stavanger Symphony orchestras, BBC, London, Malaysian, Qatar and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, Orchestre National de Lille, Stockholm Sinfonietta, Prague Chamber Orchestra, Hallé and the orchestras of Scottish, Welsh National and English National operas.
In the West End he was Music Director for Phantom of the Opera, Aspects of Love, Carmen Jones, Cats and Once on this Island;elsewhere credits include Divorce me Darling, Out of this world, The Gondoliers and How to Succeed in Business (Chichester Festival), Follies in Concert (London Palladium), Wonderful Town, Oklahoma! and South Pacific (Grange Park Opera) and Anton and Erin (national tours 2010– 22). He was musical supervisor for Top Hat, Promises and Lies (both world premieres) and the national tour of Kiss me Kate. In 2008 he was Music Associate for the acclaimed BBC TV series Maestro, and in 2009 he arranged, orchestrated and conducted Shall we Dance for Adam Cooper (Sadlers Wells).
Katie Birtillsinger
After initially studying medicine at Bristol, Katie Birtill followed her dream to become a performer by studying musical theatre at the Royal Academy of Music. Since then, she has enjoyed a varied career in theatre and music. When she’s not singing as a concert soloist she can be found doing solo shows at jazz clubs and festivals. She has released two recordings: her debut album Baby, Dream Your Dream and the EP Something’s Coming. Both records combine her two musical loves, presenting musical theatre songs with a jazz twist.
She has performed as a soloist with orchestras throughout the UK and internationally, including the BBC Concert Orchestra, the Malaysian, Royal Liverpool and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, Hallé, RTÉ Concert Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, John Wilson Orchestra, Barcelona’s Arts Symphony Ensemble and the Down for the Count Swing Orchestra.
As an actress her credits include Tell Me On a Sunday, The Knights of the Rose, Sweet Charity, Last Five Years, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, By Jeeves, The Boy Who Fell into a Book and Dreamboats and Petticoats.
Graham Bickleysinger
Graham Bickley is a veteran of West End theatre and a consummate concert soloist. He has appeared in numerous musicals including They’re Playing Our Song, ThePirates of Penzance, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Ragtime, Metropolis, Maddie, ThePajama Game, Sunset Boulevard and High Society, garnering four nominations for best actor in a musical, including a Laurence Olivier Award nomination.
He has performed with many orchestras throughout the UK, Europe, Asia and South America. Concert productions include Wonderful Town, Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and On the Town. With the BBC Concert Orchestra he has performed in the radio concert programme Friday Night Is Music Night and two BBC Proms concerts; with the Royal Philharmonic he performed a decade of Best of Broadway concerts at the Royal Albert Hall. He has also appeared in numerous concerts throughout the UK and internationally, in Oman and China.
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
For over 90 years, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the only professional symphony orchestra in Wales, has played an integral part in the cultural landscape of the country, occupying a distinctive role as both a broadcast and national orchestra, and serving as an ambassador of Welsh culture, regularly performing music created in Wales and championing Welsh composers and artists.
Part of BBC Cymru Wales and supported by the Arts Council of Wales, BBC NOW performs a busy schedule of concerts and broadcasts, working with acclaimed conductors and soloists from across the world, including its Principal Conductor, the award-winning Ryan Bancroft.
The orchestra is committed to working in partnership with community groups and charities, taking music out of the concert hall and into settings such as schools and hospitals to enable others to experience and be empowered by music. It undertakes workshops, concerts and side-by-side performances to inspire and encourage the next generation of performers, composers and arts leaders, and welcomes thousands of young people and community members annually through its outreach and education projects.
BBC NOW performs annually at the BBC Proms and biennially at the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, and its concerts can be heard regularly across the BBC – on Radio 3, Radio Wales and Radio Cymru. On screen, music performed by BBC NOW can be heard widely across the BBC and other global channels, including the soundtrack and theme tune for Doctor Who, Planet Earth III, Prehistoric Planet, The Pact and Children in Need.
Based at BBC Hoddinott Hall, Cardiff Bay, BBC NOW utilises a state-of-the-art recording studio with a camera system for livestreams and TV broadcasts to bring BBC NOW’s music to a broader audience across Wales and the world. For more information about BBC NOW please visit bbc.co.uk/now
Patron
HM King Charles III KG KT PC GCB
Principal Conductor
Ryan Bancroft
PrincipalGuest Conductor
Jaime Martín
Composer-in-Association
Gavin Higgins
First Violins
Róisín Verity
Martin Gwilym-Jones sub-leader
Terry Porteus
Suzanne Casey
Žanete Uškāne
Juan Gonzalez
Emilie Godden
Alejandro Trigo
Carmel Barber
Ruth Heney **
Anna Cleworth
Kerry Gordon-Smith
Second Violins
Ros Butler
Sheila Smith
Vickie Ringguth
Katherine Miller
Beverley Wescott
Michael Topping
Lydia Caines
Joseph Williams
Jane Sinclair
Elizabeth Whittam
Gary George-Veale
Violas
Alex Thorndike #
Tetsuumi Nagata
Peter Taylor
Anna Growns
Laura Sinnerton
Catherine Palmer
Robert Gibbons
Lydia Abell
Lowri Taffinder
Cellos
Jessica Feaver
Sandy Bartai
Carolyn Hewitt
Rachel Ford
Alistair Howes
Keith Hewitt
Kathryn Graham
Double Basses
Alexander Jones #
Richard Lewis
Chris Wescott
Emma Prince
Imogen Fernando
Flutes
Piccolo
Oboes
Cor anglais
Clarinets
Lenny Sayers +**
Bass Clarinet
Bassoons
Jo Shewan
Horns
Meilyr Hughes
John Davy
Flora Bain
Tom Taffinder
Trumpets
Robert Samuel
Corey Morris †
Mike Lovatt
Trombones
Simon Baker
Bass Trombone
Timpani
Percussion
Jake Brown
Harp
Drum Kit
Guitar
Bass Guitar
Piano
Rebecca Nash
* Section Principal
† Principal
‡ Guest Principal
# Assistant String Principal
The list of players was correct at the time of publication
Director Lisa Tregale
+ Green Team member
