The first day of December signals the start of the Christmas music ritual and this year, more than ever, local choirs and instrumental groups have dug deep into the repertoire for imaginative and resourceful seasonal offerings, writes Hilton Tims.

None more so than the Loki Ensemble whose Kingston Parish Church concert tomorrow (Dec 1), the final event of the Kingston and Richmond Early Music Festival, sets the mood by excavating some of the earliest extant Christmas songs..

Here are some of the next three weeks' highlights:

December 4 and 5: CLANDON PARK WEST CLANDON Epsom Chamber Choir.

December 8: TWICKENHAM, ST MARY'S CHURCH Teddington Choral Society; HAMPTON HILL, UNITED REFORMED CHURCH In Harmony ensemble, Christmas Cracker; EAST SHEEN, ALL SAINTS' CHURCH The Barnes Choir performs Verdi's Pater Noster, pieces by Gerald Finzi, Britten's Jubilate Deo and Herbert Howells' The Spotless Rose (no carols); GUILDFORD, CATHEDRAL Christmas music from Handel's Messiah, Corelli's Christmas Concerto and Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols performed by the Guildford Philharmonic Orchestra, Chamber Choir and Camerata.

December 11: WALTON, METHODIST CHURCH Walton and Oatlands Choral Society, Christmas music and readings.

December 15: KINGSTON, ALL SAINTS' CHURCH Kingston Choral Society and Thames Sinfonia, Bach's Christmas Oratorio (no carols); SURBITON, ST MARK'S CHURCH Kingston Orpheus Choir. ESHER, CHRIST CHURCH The Ripeno Choir; RICHMOND, ROYAL STAR AND GARTER HOME Richmond Youth Orchestra and Song Folk, Petersham and Ham Sea Scout handbell ringers; SOUTHWARK, CATHEDRAL Thames Philharmonic Choir intersperses carols with the Vaughan Williams' Fantasia and seasonal choral works by Edmund Rubbra whose birth centenary has been commemorated this year.

December 19: GUILDFORD, HOLY TRINITY CHURCH The Tallis Scholars sing Thomas Tallis' Christmas mass Puer Natus, Flemish, Spanish, German and English motets and Latin plainsong (no carols).

December 22: SOUTHFIELDS, ST PAUL'S CHURCH tenor Ian Partridge joins Wimbledon Choral Society for carols.

November 30, 2001 14:31