A Festive Celebration New Auditorium Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Sun 14 Dec 2025 2pm Caird Hall, Dundee Sun 21 Dec 2pm
2 A Festive Celebration
A Festive Celebration
New Auditorium, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Sun 14 Dec 2025 2pm Caird Hall, Dundee Sun 21 Dec 2pm No music says ‘It’s Christmas’ quite like the bright shining sound of a brass ensemble – unless it’s carols from a choir in full, joyous, festive voice. Put the two together and the result is an afternoon of seasonal magic! Join the RSNO’s Brass Ensemble, RSNO Chorus and RSNO Chorus Academies for a celebration of some of your favourite festive melodies.
Stephen Doughty Conductor RSNO Brass Ensemble RSNO Chorus (Glasgow only) RSNO Chorus Academy Glasgow (Glasgow only) Aimee Toshney Director, RSNO Chorus Academy RSNO Chorus Academy Dundee (Dundee only) Laura McFall Director, RSNO Chorus Academy Dundee
The Dundee concert is supported by Leisure and Culture Dundee, Leng Charitable Trust, Northwood Charitable Trust and Tay Charitable Trust.
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.
Keep in touch with the RSNO
rsno.org.uk Royal Scottish National Orchestra, 9 Killermont Street, Glasgow G2 3NX T: +44 (0)141 226 3868 Scottish Company No. 27809 Scottish Charity No. SC010702
The RSNO is supported by the Scottish Government
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A Festive Celebration ANDERSON arr. ARNOLD A Christmas Festival TRADITIONAL arr. CABLE Ding Dong Merrily on High TRADITIONAL arr. WILLCOCKS O Come, All Ye Faithful TCHAIKOVSKY arr. SEIPP March and Russian Dance from The Nutcracker Suite FRENCH CAROL arr. WELLS Whence is that Goodly Fragrance Flowing? DEDRICK arr. COLETTI The Angel Choir and the Trumpeter TRADITIONAL arr. DOUGHTY Mary Had a Baby TRADITIONAL arr. IVESON A Carol Fantasy GRUBER arr. HARVEY Silent Night HANDEL arr. HENDERSON Joy to the World
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O COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant, O come ye, O come ye to Bethlehem! Come, and behold Him, born the King of angels! O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, O come, let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord! God of God, Light of Light, lo, He abhors not the virgin’s womb; very God, begotten not created; O come, let us adore Him ... Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation; sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above! Glory to God, all glory in the highest! O come, let us adore Him ... RSNO BRASS ENSEMBLE TRUMPET Christopher Hart Juliette Murphy HORN Martin Murphy TROMBONE Cillian Ó Ceallacháin TUBA John Whitener
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RSNO Chorus
The RSNO Chorus evolved from a choir formed in 1843 to sing the first full performance of Handel’s Messiah in Scotland. Today it is one of the most successful choruses in the UK. In recent years it has performed practically every work in the standard choral repertoire along with contemporary works by renowned composers, including John Adams, Magnus Lindberg, Howard Shore and, most recently, the critically acclaimed Scottish Premiere of Sir James MacMillan’s In addition to its commitment to the Orchestra, the RSNO Chorus performs independently and has Christmas Oratorio. been invited to perform with orchestras in many The RSNO Chorus is directed by Stephen Doughty, parts of the world, establishing an international who was appointed to the role at the start of the status and touring to Copenhagen, Hong Kong, 2022:23 Season. Israel, Germany, Belfast, Australia, Trondheim, Amsterdam, Prague and, most recently, Budapest. In 2018 it performed Britten’s War Requiem with the RSNO at the BBC Proms. The RSNO Chorus performs in around six different programmes in up to 20 concerts across Scotland with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra each year. The RSNO Chorus has also had great success in recording with the Orchestra. Its recordings, among others, of Prokofiev’s Alexander Nevsky, conducted by Neeme Järvi, and Holst’s The Planets, conducted by David Lloyd-Jones, have both attracted high critical acclaim.
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SOPRANO 1 Alison Blair Alison Pryce-Jones Caroline Cradock Catherine Taylor Charlotte McKechnie Heather Keating Joanna Beaton Joanna Webster Karman Leung Morag Kean Morven MacDonald Roberta Yule Sarah Greer SOPRANO 2 Amelie Masters Beth Kean Eleanor Gaskell Elspeth Waugh Jenny Cheung Judith Pexton Kate Adams Laura Gorman Leila Inglis Lorna Robertson Lynsey Brook Lynsey Scott Margaret Mills Ruby Ginoris Sally Sandground
ALTO 1 Ailie MacDougall Angela McDonald Anne Browning Anne Murphy Anne Thies Brenda Williamson Catriona Eadie Esther McMillan Julia Haddow Julia King June Thomas Laura Macdonald Lauren Hadley Linda McLauchlan Louise Reid Mary Taylor Maureen McCroskie Marita McMillan Olivia Howe Gillespie Ruth Townsend Sophy Ying Uta Engelbrecht ALTO 2 Alison Bryce Ann Firth Anne Newlands Carol Leddy Denny Henderson Eleanor McLaren Elizabeth Scobie Elizabeth Stevenson Gillian Downie Jane Stansfield Janette Morrison Moira Allingham Sonja Crossan TENOR 1 Andrew Clifford David Miller Nathan Dunsmore
TENOR 2 Cosma Gottardi George Lloyd Graham Parsonage John Harvey Kerr Noble Robert Paterson BASS 1 Andrew Matheson Ian MacKay Ian Mills Martin Engelbrecht Martin Waddell Peter McMahon Peter Saunders BASS 2 Alan Maxwell Chris Morris Graeme Simpson John MacLellan Melvyn Davies Stephen Lipton Stewart Macfarlane Tim Reilly Tristan Stewart-Robertson RSNO CHORUS DIRECTOR Stephen Doughty RSNO CHORUS VOCAL COACH Polly Beck RSNO CHORUS REHEARSAL PIANIST Edward Cohen
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RSNO Chorus Academies Part of the RSNO’s community singing strand, the RSNO Chorus Academy was originally formed in Glasgow in 2015. Open to all and unauditioned, the choir is designed to encourage singers to build their confidence in all aspects of singing, including choral techniques and musicianship. Inspired by the success of RSNO Chorus Academy in Glasgow,
in 2023 a sister choir was formed in Dundee. Now welcoming over 150 singers each week, the RSNO Chorus Academies in Glasgow and Dundee are led by Aimee Toshney and Laura McFall respectively. The RSNO Chorus Academies perform with the RSNO and RSNO Chorus as well as at their own showcases.
RSNO Chorus Academy Glasgow SOPRANO 1 Agnes Wypych Andrea Nelson Anne Livingstone Christine Copeland Grace Baxter Heather Ferguson Jackie McNamara Jan Smith Lynn Kennedy Margaret Kingsley Martina Boyce Mary Weeple Nadia Reilly Nikola March Viktoriya Sheikh SOPRANO 2 Daria van Vliet Elizabeth Irvine Gillian Harkness-McKinlay Irene Hastings Jennifer Macdonald Lynn Curran Margaret Corrigan Maureen Sinclair Morag Buchanan Pauline Buchanan Sue Fraser
ALTO 1 Alison Yacoubian Anne Marie Simpson Catherine Macdonald Catriona Hunter Elizabeth Sherry Heather Fuller Julie Morrison Kirstie McLean Mary Robertson Maureen Denham Polly Ewart Rosalind Mellon Shona Halley Siân Malyon ALTO 2 Aileen Robertson Antje Cammisar Biddy Ramsay Christine Davidson Debbie Connor Donna Mackenzie Fiona Marshall Gwen Stokes Keziah Nyam Jim Margaret Tarbert Marie McDougall Moira McArthur Morag McQuade Susan Futter
TENOR 1 David Lightbody Kathryn Yuile Lea Cramsie Ruth Murray TENOR 2 Robert Arbuckle BASS 1 Martin Halleron Robin Ewart Simon Munro BASS 2 Andrew Winter Bob Leslie Christian Marney Laurence Reilly Niahmat Ullah Peter Stott Stephen Kennedy REHEARSAL PIANIST Hebba Benyaghla
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RSNO Chorus Academy Dundee SOPRANO 1 Davina Gray Elizabeth Shearer Fiona Cameron Heather Miller Jan Clarkson Maria Miller Marta Reis Rebecca Paavola Ruth Macdonald Shonagh Morrison Susan Eccles SOPRANO 2 Carolyn Gibson Debbie Dyer Denise Hill Elaine Selbie Erica Murray Gillian Smith Gwen Boswell Helen Davie Irene Hill Joan Chynoweth Kay Pratt Kat Fox Linda Hamilton Liz Crawford Margaret Henry Sandra Brown Shirley Graham Susan Carmichael Sylvia Adams Teresa Little
ALTO 1 Abigail Lyons Amanda Parker Anna Young Anne Jordan Dorothy Duncan Helen Forbes Jenni Dorward Karen Johnstone Karen Urquhart Kate Keillor Maureen Keith Maureen McKeown Morag Sutherland Norma Taylor Pauline Dolan Susan Rees Valerie Gauld Vivienne Adams ALTO 2 Amy Knighton Anne Lindsay Barbara Vettraino Bernie Arnott Caroline Boyd Charlotte Petty Christine Mulherron Donna Morrison Eileen Holmes Fiona Anderson Jacquie Anderson Jay Knezovic Jemma Toller Jenny Fitzpatrick Johanne Phillips Lindsay Crosbie Lisbeth Thoms
Maureen Miller Morag Ward Pat Fegen Sonia Morrison Sue Jarvis TENOR 1 Andrew Wight Anne Tavendale Christopher Hill Emily Hanover Graham Overton Lucy Wakefield Mairi Fraser Maureen Gilchrist Richard Kelly Robert Henry Susan Taylor TENOR 2 John Parry Sandra Savage Susie Schofield BASS 1 Doug Stirling Kenny Mckaig Mark Phillips Pauline Martin Stewart Fyffe BASS 2 Andy Hall Frank Carey Stuart Miller REHEARSAL PIANIST Euan Gow
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Stephen Doughty Director, RSNO Chorus
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’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 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 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 is an Examiner for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music.
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Laura McFall
Aimee Toshney
Director, RSNO Chorus Academy Dundee
Director, RSNO Chorus Academy Glasgow
Laura is a distinguished musician, educator and choral leader known for her commitment to advancing vocal and music education. She holds a Master’s degree in Vocal Performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where she studied with Wilma MacDougall, and was a semi-finalist in both the Charles Wood and Mozart singing competitions. While at college, she was awarded prestigious scholarships including the South Square Trust, Mario Lanza Trust and McGlashan Trust Award. Laura has performed widely with organisations including Live Music Now, Westbourne Music Society and National Galleries Scotland.
Scottish classical and traditional musician Aimee graduated from Glasgow University (MA 1st class Hons, MMus Musicology), the Royal Northern College of Music (MMus with Distinction) and English National Opera’s Opera Works programme.
A skilled Kodály practitioner, singing teacher and choral director, Laura also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Education from the RCS. Her varied teaching and choral delivery experience includes roles with Sistema Scotland, RCS Juniors and Seniors, the National Youth Choirs of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain, Dunedin Consort and East Renfrewshire Music Service. She now serves as Head of Primary Music at Jordanhill School, and Musicianship Lecturer at the RCS. Laura is also in demand as a freelance singing workshop leader and most recently led a Primary Big Sing with over 900 children at the Derry Choral Festival 2025. A passionate advocate for the wellbeing benefits of singing, Laura champions the belief that everyone can sing and share in its joy. Her inclusive approach and dedication to choral leadership continue to inspire communities across the UK. As a result of her passion and commitment, she has started her own business, Singing Threads, focusing on day-long retreat workshops in Glasgow and Dundee, which creatively intertwine Gaelic song, weaving and singing for wellbeing.
Solo performance highlights include Mozart’s Requiem with the RSNO Chorus, the title role in Carmen for an audience of over a thousand at Chiswick House, London, Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music alongside Dame Felicity Lott, and performances in Canberra (British High Commission), Auckland Town Hall, London Coliseum, National Opera House (Ireland) and on Scottish television. An accomplished educator and animateur, Aimee has also directed, taught and consulted for the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, National Girls’ Choir, National Youth Choir of Scotland, Luminate, Edinburgh International Festival, MENSA, Jessie’s Fund, Citizens Theatre, Scottish Association for Music Education, Sistema Scotland, RSNO Youth Chorus and ISM Trust for Education. Awards include an Evening Times Community Champion Award for dementia projects and the J M Barrie Action for Children’s Arts Members’ Award (Discovering Lieder project, Leeds Lieder).
Handel’s
Messiah FRI 2 JAN 2026: 3pm GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL
Book online at
rsno.org.uk
Come and Sing
Carmina Burana SATURDAY 24 JANUARY 2026 GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL
Participant session 10.30am-5.30pm Public concert 7.30pm Whether you’re a choral society regular or only ever sing in the shower, absolutely everyone is welcome to join in. Spend the day rehearsing under the expert guidance of RSNO Chorus Director Stephen Doughty, before putting on a performance of Carmina Burana accompanied by Scotland’s National Orchestra. Participation (£28) and audience (£15) tickets are available to book online at rsno.org.uk
rsno.org.uk