The Watford Philharmonic Society’s annual Christmas Concert at the Watford Colosseum on Wednesday, 17th December beginning at 7.30 pm, is a popular and regular feature of the festive season for local music lovers. 

The choir and orchestra will perform a mixture of well loved Christmas songs and carols, together with some not quite so well known seasonal pieces, and there will be plenty of opportunity for the audience to join in.  This year, for the first time in the Christmas programme, they will be joined by the choir from St Anthony’s Roman Catholic School, and the newly formed South Oxhey Community Choir.

The festive readings are an important part of the evening, following the Christmas story and giving structure to the evening, this year they will be shared between Dorothy Thornhill, Watford’s elected Mayor, Richard Chewter, the Town Centre Chaplain, Terry James, the Head of Queen’s School and Anne Gallacher the Executive Director of the  Palace Theatre.

The concert will be presented and conducted by Terry Edwards.  Terry was born in London and studied music at Trinity College of Music.  On leaving college his first professional post was as Music Teacher at Rickmansworth Grammar School.  Since then his distinguished career has included working for twelve years as Chorus Director at the Royal Opera House and founding and directing London Voices, with whom he has made over two hundred records.  London Voices have featured on the soundtracks of several films, including the first three Harry Potter stories, the last three Star Wars epics, the trilogy of Lord of the Rings and the film The Golden Compass.  In the course of his recording career he has worked with many great singers, including Luciana Pavarotti and Bryn Terfel.