Concert: St Nicolas – Benjamin Britten

Join us on the feast of St Nicholas for a free performance of Britten's St Nicolas – telling the dramatic story of the fourth‑century bishop whose generosity and compassion became legendary and inspired the figure of Father Christmas.

With the help of Pickled Boys, sailors, orchestral whips, a girls chorus in the gallery, tenor soloist, and St Bride's Choir and Orchestra, Britten takes us through the life and miracles of the patron saint of sailors and children.

It is written with music of great colour and accessibility and typifies Britten's genius for composing music for the whole community; even the audience gets the chance to join in.

The figure of St Nicolas has travelled far beyond his own time. His reputation for secret generosity and care for children eventually gave rise to the familiar figure of Santa Claus or Father Christmas.

Britten's cantata shows us the man behind the tradition whose faith expressed itself in courage, kindness and joyful service. Together with our own matron saint, St Brigid, they stand among the early Christian saints as guiding lights whose generosity, protection, and miraculous provision kindle hope at the turning points of the year.

The concert is open to all, ticketless and free to attend and lasts approximately 1 hour.

There will be a voluntary collection with a suggested donation of £15 per person to help defer the considerable costs. Without your generosity such events could not happen and we are deeply grateful for your support.

Many of our Advent events are very busy; please reserve a spot for early admission to the church (30 minutes before the event) to avoid disappointment.

125 places will be held back for later admission via the West Door (15 minutes before the service starts) for those who arrive on the day without registration.

If you need assistance with this please contact the office on 020 7427 0133 or email [email protected].

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St Bride's receives no state funding and is wholly reliant on – and deeply grateful for – the generous support of our visitors without which this service could not happen.

There will be a voluntary collection at the end of the service to support our work, our magnificent Wren church, and the internationally-acclaimed music-making you will hear. The suggested donation is £15 per person.

You can make a Donation on EventBrite when completing your reservation; or donate by cash or contactless at church; or via our JustGiving page.

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Directions to St Bride's Church and information about accessibility are available on our Visit Us page.

If you register for early admission please arrive 30 minutes before the service. Your place may need to be released to others queuing if you arrive later than this.