The London Gay Symphony Orchestra (LGSO) always throws an annual Christmas concert, but this year’s event will be a little different as it will be the company’s first ever Family Concert.
The concert will take place on Sunday 14 December at 5pm at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate on Holborn Viaduct in central London.
The event will be introduced by actor Nina Wadia (EastEnders and Goodness Gracious Me), who will also take on the role of the narrator in Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf. This tales tells the tale of a brave little boy outwitting a big bad wolf with the help of a supporting cast of birds, ducks and cats – who will all be played by orchestra members.
Other works that will receive an airing will include Ravel’s Mother Goose, Grieg’s Peer Gynt, and Suppe’s Light Cavalry.
The company promise mince pies, milled wine, some seasonal surprises and instrument demos during the interval, with the opportunity to younger members of the audience to have a go with some instruments themselves.
‘The orchestra always do a Christmas concert: this year we fancied trying something different and a family concert is an idea we’ve had simmering away on a back burner,’ said the orchestra’s Nathan Evans to GSN.
‘There are a couple of reasons why we’re doing it. One is selfish, in that it gives us opportunity to play some great repertoire we’ve never played before – and to work with Nina Wadia [pictured right]. The other reason is musical, in that it gives us chance to do our bit and introduce a younger audience to classical music.’
‘Most importantly, culturally, members of the orchestra, and of our audience, have been starting their own families for some time and we wanted to create an event that they could share with them.
‘Eighteen years ago, on our foundation, such an event may have generated negative press but it’s a refreshing indication of the changes in social attitudes, and family units, that no-one has batted an eyelid.’
 
If you are in London, then Gay orchestra  family concert for Christmas is the place to be.
For more information, check LGSO’s official website.