York Minster will play host to 450 young singers from the area this December, as they perform alongside musical ensemble Gabrieli in 'A Grand Georgian Christmas'.

The concert, set to take place on Friday, December 6, will feature young singers from fifteen choirs including All Saints Secondary, Chapter House Youth Choir, and Masham CE VA Primary School Choir.

The York Minster date is part of a wider UK tour by Gabrieli, which sees the ensemble perform with "around 5,000 late-primary and secondary school students" in various UK locations as part of 'Gabrieli Roar,' a partnership between Gabrieli and a network of school, church, and youth choirs nationwide.

Youngsters involved are trained to perform side-by-side with professional musicians.

Issy Rainey, a young singer involved in Gabrieli Roar, said: "Missing out on Roar would make me a very different person.

"Initially, I was unsure about joining as I have no classical training and I don’t attend a fancy school - but Roar has completely changed my view on choral music.

"It can be so fragile, but so powerful.

"I feel so proud to be involved.

"It’s an incredible experience.

"I wish it could last longer, I can never get enough of it."

The York Minster concert will reportedly trace the Christmas story through four chapters: The Promise, The Shepherds, The Manger, and The Angels.

Carols, hymns, and anthems by the likes of Handel and Haydn, as well as lesser-known composers, will feature.

The massed choirs will be joined by an ensemble including many older instruments that would have been hear in church bands in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries - "including two very rare serpents".

Karen Marshall, trust music specialist at EBOR MAT, said: "The children across seven of our 25 EBOR Academy Trust schools are taking part in the Gabrieli Roar York Minster project and it’s a truly wonderful experience for all our children - we believe they will remember it for the rest of their lives as well as the joy music can bring when performing together."

A full list of the choirs involved follows: All Saints Secondary, Chapter House Youth Choir, Masham CE VA Primary School Choir, Park Grove Primary Academy Choir, Brotherton and Byram CP Academy, York High School, Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy choir, Clifton Green Primary School Young Voices Choir, Haxby Road Primary Academy Choir, Lakeside Choir, Osbaldwick Primary Academy, Hob Moor Community Primary Academy, Barwic Parade Community Primary School, Cross Keys Choir, and Manor Academy Choir.

‘A Grand Georgian Christmas’ follows Gabrieli Roar’s Praetorius tour in 2022, which took place in eight cathedrals across the country.

Tickets to the York Minster concert can be booked at https://yorkminster.org/whats-on/event/gabrieli-roar/

More information about Gabrieli Roar is available at https://www.gabrieli.com/roar/about-roar/