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RSNO Christmas Concert featuring
The Presented by Josie Long Music Hall, Aberdeen Wed 17 Dec 2025 6.30pm
RSNO Christmas Concert featuring The Snowman Welcome to the RSNO’s Christmas Concert for an extra-special feast of Yuletide cheer! This family-friendly concert is packed with your favourite sing-along carols and festive melodies, including The Penguin Song and The Twelve Days of Christmas. And of course there’s the enchanting film The Snowman, shown on the big screen, accompanied by the Orchestra and narrated by our star guest, comedian Josie Long. It’s the perfect start to your Christmas!
Stephen Doughty Conductor Josie Long Presenter Nuala-Maria McKnight Soloist Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Christmas Overture Howard Blake
The Snowman
Narrator: Josie Long Soloist: Nuala-Maria McKnight INTERVAL Leroy Anderson
A Christmas Festival Traditional (arr. Doughty)
Mary Had a Baby Philip Lane
Two Pieces from Old Christmas Music Bring a Torch Gaudete Traditional (arr. Doughty)
The Twelve Days of Christmas
Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane (arr. Custer)
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Leroy Anderson
Sleigh Ride
Kevin Stannard (arr. Doughty)
The Penguin Song Mike Batt
A Christmas Overture Felix Mendelssohn (arr. Willcocks)
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
HARK! THE HERALD ANGELS SING Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn king; Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.’ Joyful all ye nations rise, Join the triumph of the skies, With the angelic host proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’ Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born king.’ Christ, by highest heaven adored, Christ, the everlasting Lord, Late in time behold Him come, Offspring of a Virgin’s womb: Veiled in flesh the Godhead see, Hail the incarnate Deity, Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus, our Emmanuel.
Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born king.’ Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings; Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die, Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth. Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the new-born king.’
If viewing these notes at the concert, please do so considerately and not during performances. Please silence all mobile telephones and alerts, and refrain from taking photographs, without flash, until the end of each piece.
RSNO: Scotland’s National Orchestra 5
Josie Long Presenter
Josie Long is a multi-award-winning comedian, writer, podcaster and film-maker. She is a trailblazer of the UK comedy industry, as the first woman to be nominated three times for the Edinburgh Comedy Award (2010-12). Her nine critically acclaimed tours showcase her unique and powerfully original voice, and have been performed globally to sell-out shows. Her various podcasts and original radio shows have garnered her a worldwide audience of dedicated listeners and multiple awards. Josie is an avid film-maker, having written and performed in two short films and a full-length feature called Super November. She’s been on all the TV channels, and has two comedy specials currently streaming; Cara Josephine is available on Amazon Prime, and Something Better is available on Netflix. Her debut book, a collection of short stories called Because I Don’t Know What You Mean and What You Don’t, was published in 2023.
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Every Child, Every Community
Your support can brighten a child’s day. Will you help us bring the joy of music to children across Scotland? Scan the QR code to be taken to our donate page or visit rsno.org.uk/every-child
RSNO: Scotland’s National Orchestra 7
Stephen Doughty Conductor
Hammond’s Requiem for the Lost Souls of the Titanic, performed exactly 100 years since the liner went down, and further European premieres of both Stuart Scott’s Requiem Brevis, which saw the 100-strong choir separated into eight choirs spaced around the audience, and Christopher Marshall’s Earthsong. Stephen particularly enjoys working with amateur singers, not least leading regular singing days frequently involving up to 800 amateur singers. He was Musical Director of Edinburgh Bach Choir for seven years and has enjoyed directing the Garleton Singers for over 30 years, performing with them recently at the Lammermuir Festival.
Stephen Doughty has been Chorus Director of the RSNO Chorus since the start of the 2022:23 Season. Since his arrival the Chorus has seen an influx of new members, and an abundance of varied and critically acclaimed performances, including Verdi’s Requiem, Britten’s War Requiem, Bruckner’s E Minor Mass and the Scottish premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio. He has also directed the Chorus in new and imaginative programmes in their own right, including Rheinberger’s Mass in E flat for double choir, and concerts with percussion and organ featuring Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, the European premiere of McIntyre’s Missa Brevis and Ives’ final major choral work, Psalm 90.
Stephen plays harpsichord/organ continuo and orchestral piano and has given frequent organ recitals, including several on the grand Mulholland Organ in the Ulster Hall, Belfast. He is also in demand as an arranger and orchestrator, with a large portfolio of work particularly for young voices. He has produced a plethora of arrangements of the music of pianist Christopher Norton, including two publications of piano duets and a suite for wind sextet, and has received commissions from Children’s Classic Concerts, the Ulster Orchestra and the RSNO. Commissions from the BBC have seen his work being performed on BBC Alba and at the Last Night of the Proms, and his pieces feature on several recordings, including with the RSNO Chorus.
Stephen’s previous 12-year tenure as Chorus Master of Belfast Philharmonic Choir included a number of world premieres, most significantly James Whitbourn’s The Seven Heavens and Philip
Stephen is an Examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
8 RSNO Christmas Concert
Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Piano Concertos (soloist: Benjamin Grosvenor), conducted by Elim Chan, two Diapason d’Or awards (Denève/Roussel 2007; Denève/Debussy 2012) and eight GRAMMY Award nominations. In recent years, the RSNO has cultivated an international reputation for world-class film, television and videogame soundtrack recording. The Orchestra has recorded for BAFTA-winning series Silo (Apple TV) and worked with the likes The Orchestra’s artistic team is led by Danish of GRAMMY Award-winning composer Lorne conductor Thomas Søndergård, who was Balfe on Life on Our Planet (Netflix). Other notable appointed Music Director in 2018. In March 2024, titles include Nuremberg (Sony Pictures), Now You Austrian-born conductor, composer and musician See Me: Now You Don’t (Lionsgate), Horizon: An Patrick Hahn became the Orchestra’s Principal American Saga (Warner Bros) and Star Wars Guest Conductor. Outlaws (Ubisoft). The Orchestra records at its bespoke in-house facility in Glasgow. The RSNO is supported by the Scottish Formed in 1891 as the Scottish Orchestra, the company became the Scottish National Orchestra in 1950 and was awarded Royal Patronage in 1977. Many renowned conductors have contributed to its success, including Sir John Barbirolli, Walter Susskind, Sir Alexander Gibson, Neeme Järvi, Walter Weller, Alexander Lazarev and Stéphane Denève.
Government and is one of the Scottish National Performing Companies. The Orchestra performs across Scotland, including concerts in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, Perth and Inverness, and appears regularly at the Edinburgh International Festival and BBC Proms. The RSNO has made recent tours to China and Europe. The RSNO has a worldwide reputation for the quality of its recordings, receiving a 2020 Gramophone Classical Music Award for Chopin’s
The RSNO believes that music can enrich lives, and aims to inspire, educate and entertain people throughout Scotland and beyond with its performances, recordings and engagement programmes. Supporting schools, families, young professionals and wider communities, the RSNO delivers high-quality initiatives for all ages and abilities.
RSNO: Scotland’s National Orchestra 9
On Stage FIRST VIOLIN Maya Iwabuchi LEADER
CELLO Pei-Jee Ng
PRINCIPAL
HORN Amadea Dazeley-Gaist
Shlomy Dobrinsky
Betsy Taylor Kennedy Leitch Yuuki Bouterey-Ishido Rachael Lee Sarah Digger Robert Anderson Gunda Baranauskaitė
Alison Murray Diana Sheach David McClenaghan Martin Murphy
DOUBLE BASS Nikita Naumov
Katie Bannister Jason Lewis
Michael Rae Moray Jones Alexandre Cruz dos Santos Chris Sargeant
TROMBONE Dávur Juul Magnussen
FLUTE Oliver Roberts
PRINCIPAL BASS TROMBONE
ASSOCIATE LEADER
Tamás Fejes
ASSISTANT LEADER
Patrick Curlett Caroline Parry Ursula Heidecker Allen Elizabeth Bamping Lorna Rough Susannah Lowdon Alan Manson Liam Lynch Veronica Marziano Stewart Webster SECOND VIOLIN Emma Oldfield GUEST PRINCIPAL
Marion Wilson Jacqueline Speirs Nigel Mason Emily Nenniger Paul Medd Anne Bünemann Sophie Lang Robin Wilson Kirstin Drew Colin McKee Helena Rose VIOLA Tom Dunn PRINCIPAL
Felix Tanner Asher Zaccardelli Susan Buchan Nicola McWhirter Claire Dunn Lisa Rourke Maria Trittinger Francesca Hunt Beth Woodford
PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPAL
TRUMPET Christopher Hart PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPAL
Cillian Ó Ceallacháin Alastair Sinclair
Janet Richardson
TUBA John Whitener
PRINCIPAL PICCOLO
PRINCIPAL
OBOE Adrian Wilson
TIMPANI Tom Hunter
GUEST PRINCIPAL
PRINCIPAL
Henry Clay
PRINCIPAL COR ANGLAIS
CLARINET Timothy Orpen PRINCIPAL
Duncan Swindells
PRINCIPAL BASS CLARINET
BASSOON Jamie Louise White ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL
Paolo Dutto
GUEST PRINCIPAL
PERCUSSION Simon Lowdon PRINCIPAL
Peter Murch Stuart Semple HARP Pippa Tunnell KEYBOARD Lynda Cochrane
PRINCIPAL CONTRABASSOON
Orchestra list and programme details correct at time of going to print.
INSPIRING MUSICAL FUTURES
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Applications open for instrumentalists, singers, composers and choristers www.stmarysmusicschool.co.uk
admissions@smms.uk | +44(0)131 538 7766
RSNO: Scotland’s National Orchestra 11
Royal Scottish National Orchestra PATRON His Majesty The King ARTISTIC TEAM Thomas Søndergård MUSIC DIRECTOR
Patrick Hahn
PRINCIPAL GUEST CONDUCTOR
RSNO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Elected Directors Gregor Stewart CHAIR
Gail Blain
HONORARY TREASURER
CONDUCTOR EMERITUS
Ruth Binks Kayla-Megan Burns Ken Hay Kat Heathcote MBE Don Macleod David Robinson John Stewart David Strachan Cllr Edward Thornley
DIRECTOR, RSNO CHORUS
Julia Miller
Celia Llácer
ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Ellie Slorach
ENGAGEMENT CONDUCTOR
Kellen Gray
ASSOCIATE ARTIST
Neeme Järvi
CONDUCTOR LAUREATE
Alexander Lazarev Stephen Doughty Patrick Barrett
Player Directors Katherine Bryan Christopher Hart David Hubbard William Knight David McClenaghan Lorna Rough SCHOOLS ADVISORY GROUP Ruth Binks Pam Black Norman Bolton Martin Greig Mae Murrary
NOMINATED DIRECTOR COMPANY SECRETARY
DIRECTOR, RSNO YOUTH CHORUSES
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Dylan Findlay
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Seonaid Eadie
Alistair Mackie CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Ted Howie
FACILITIES MANAGER
Katie Kean
Dr Jane Donald
DEPUTY CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Charlotte Jennings
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT (MATERNITY LEAVE COVER)
Nicola Kelman
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT (MATERNITY LEAVE)
PLANNING
Tammo Schuelke
LEARNING AND ENGAGEMENT
Andrew Stevenson DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT
Anna Crawford
ENGAGEMENT DELIVERY MANAGER (MATERNITY LEAVE)
Rachel Naismith
DIRECTOR OF ARTISTIC PLANNING
ENGAGEMENT DELIVERY MANAGER (MATERNITY COVER)
ARTISTIC PLANNING MANAGER
ENGAGEMENT PRODUCER
ARTISTIC PLANNING OFFICER
COMMUNITY CHORUS AND PARTNERSHIPS COORDINATOR SUPPORTED BY SCOTRAIL
Xander van Vliet
Maisie Leddy
Rachel Pullin
Chiko Parkinson
Richard Payne
HEAD OF LIBRARY SERVICES
EXTERNAL RELATIONS OFFICER
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING OFFICER
Niamh Kelly
TRUSTS AND PROJECTS MANAGER
Polly Lightbody
INDIVIDUAL GIVING AND PARTNERSHIPS OFFICER
Graham Ramage GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Sam Stone
INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER
Ross Williamson
VIDEO PRODUCER (MARKETING)
AUDIO
Hedd Morfett-Jones STUDIO MANAGER
Sam McErlean
Megan Bousfield
EXTERNAL RELATIONS
MEDIA MANAGER AND AUDIO ENGINEER
Christine Walker
Dr Jane Donald
TRAINEE AUDIO ENGINEER
DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL RELATIONS
LIBRARY ASSISTANT CHORUS MANAGER
ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT
Matthias Van Der Swaagh HEAD OF ORCHESTRA MANAGEMENT
Brodie Smith
DEPUTY ORCHESTRA MANAGER
Megan Walker
ORCHESTRA AND PROJECTS OFFICER
OPERATIONS AND PRODUCTION
Craig Swindells HEAD OF PRODUCTION
Ashley Holland STAGE MANAGER
Carol Fleming
HEAD OF MARKETING
Constance Fraser
HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT (INDIVIDUALS AND PARTNERSHIPS)
Kirsten Reid
HEAD OF DEVELOPMENT (TRUSTS AND PROJECTS) (MATERNITY LEAVE)
Lisa Ballantyne
PARTNERSHIPS OFFICER
Keilidh Bradley
Ahan Sengupta
FINANCE AND CORPORATE SERVICES
Susan Rennie HEAD OF FINANCE
Jade Wilson FINANCE OFFICER
Abby Dennison
FINANCE ADMINISTRATOR
Phoebe Connolly FINANCE ASSISTANT
GRADUATE ANIMATOR
Ian Brooke
PROGRAMMES EDITOR
Fred Bruce
TRUSTS AND PROJECTS ADMINISTRATOR
Clara Cowen
MARKETING MANAGER
Contents © Copyright RSNO and named authors.
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THU 12 FEB 2026: 7.30pm Music Hall, Aberdeen
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THU 23 APR 2026: 7.30pm Music Hall, Aberdeen Book online at
rsno.org.uk