The University of Aberdeen will bring together former students at a carol concert supported by a host of famous faces including Games of Thrones actor and alumnus Iain Glen.
The Celebration of Carols will take place at St Marylebone Parish Church London on Wednesday, December 19 and will also include actor and presenter Tony Robinson, singer and broadcaster Fiona Kennedy and actress Charlotte Emmerson.
They will each give readings and music will be provided by university professor and eminent composer Paul Mealor and the University’s acclaimed Chapel Choir. They will perform a number of Christmas favourites including O Little Town of Bethlehem, Hark the Herald Angels Sing and O Come All Ye Faithful as well as Professor Mealor’s In the Bleak Midwinter.
Guests will be piped in by professor Steve Heys and pipe major Neil Clark
The service will also premiere a new piece of music, The Carol of the Field Mice, composed by PhD student Eoghan Desmond.
The Celebration of Carols provides an opportunity for past students of the University, who may no longer live in the north-east, and its supporters to come together.
University principal and vice-chancellor George Boyne said: “I am looking forward to joining the University’s hugely popular Celebration of Carols for the first time.
“As a former student of the University myself, I know that your University days always hold a special place in your heart. We are delighted to be able to bring so many of our former students and the University’s supporters together for this wonderful festive event.
“With actors and performers of the calibre of Iain Glen, Tony Robinson, Fiona Kennedy and Charlotte Emmerson it will be a memorable evening.
“It will also be a great opportunity for our alumni community to hear the outstanding talents of our Chapel Choir members, who have just returned from a successful tour of New York where they sang for Sir Ringo Starr, and new music originating from our University.”
The Celebration of Carols begins at 7pm and will run until 9pm. It is free to attend but places must be booked by visiting https://www.abdn.ac.uk/alumni/events/13943
Donations will be collected on the night to support a £4.5million fundraising campaign to develop a world-class Cancer Research Programme in Aberdeen.
University scientists are already at the leading edge in a range of different cancer specialisms and the appeal will accelerate vital research to improve how cancer is diagnosed and treated – and critically, how it can be prevented.
It will also enable Aberdeen to develop further as a hub for vital clinical trials and enhance understanding of the role played by diet, nutrition, early-life influences and environmental factors in the development of the disease.