A festive evening for the whole family is coming to a music venue near Wigan

Taking place on Saturday December 9, Prince Bishops Brass Ensemble has a set-list to get everyone in the spirit at Parbold Village Hall.

For many, it isn’t Christmas without the sound of brass, and the programme ranges from traditional carols including the Sussex Carol, In the Bleak Midwinter and the Coventry Carol, to popular music favourites such as It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. The band promises an evening of warmth and cheer and the music begins at 7.45pm.

The evening will be opened with a bright fanfare from Paul Dukas’s score to the ballet, La Peri, and alongside the carols and family favourites will be the melodies from Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker Suite, early traditional music transcribed for brass instruments by Andrea Gabrieli and Michael Praetorius, before ending with a medley of toe-tapping tunes that everyone will recognise.

The group comprises five friends who met while playing across the north of England, during the countless bar rests they encountered while playing for choral societies, operatic companies, symphony orchestras, brass bands and big bands. They decided to get together as a quintet - giving them more opportunities for the big tunes, and reducing their need to count as much!

Based in County Durham, the musicians bring a wealth of experience and enjoyment to all of their performances. This is a return visit to Parbold for them, such was the audience’s fantastic reaction when they last filled Parbold Village Hall, and it is set to be a very popular evening.

Parbold Douglas Music is a charity run on a not-for-profit basis, by a team of volunteers drawn from the local community. Founded in 1973, our live performances are unique in the North West in presenting concerts in an intimate auditorium where audiences can get thrillingly close to world-class musicians.

This season is generously sponsored by the Evans Family Foundation in recognition of Maria B Evans Estate Agents Ltd and the good works that Parbold Douglas Music does in the community.

Tickets for each concert are priced from £22 to £25 and just £5 for young people and students (a price which has remained constant for over 15 years). Free car parking is also available. Tickets can be booked by visiting the website www.parbolddouglasmusic.org, emailing [email protected] or phoning 01257 498452.