Celebrate the festive season with J. S. Bach’s joyous Christmas Oratorio. Filled with uplifting choruses, tender arias, and vibrant orchestral writing, this much-loved masterpiece tells the Nativity story with drama, beauty, and reverence.
Composed in 1734, the Oratorio combines spiritual depth with Baroque brilliance. With outstanding soloists accompanied by the acclaimed Hanover Band, this seasonal favourite captures the wonder and glory of Christmas and is the perfect start to your festive season!
Soprano – Sam Cobb
Mezzo Soprano – Angharad Rowlands
Tenor – Sam Jenkins
Bass – Tristan Hambleton
The Hanover Band
Conductor – Howard Ionascu
Sam Cobb - Soprano
Sam Cobb is a British Soprano. Originally from Birmingham, Sam is currently studying for a Master’s degree in Early Music Vocal Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, having completed an undergraduate degree in Music at Royal Holloway, University of London, and a Master’s degree in Musicology at the University of Birmingham.
Recent solo engagements include: J.S. Bach’s Magnificat with Buckfast Abbey Choir and Orchestra; First Fairy in Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream toured in Europe with Constellation Choir and Orchestra and John Eliot Gardiner; J.S. Bach’s Mass in B Minor with Exeter Bach Choir; Handel’s Messiah with Exeter Philharmonic Choir; Mozart’s Mass in C Minor and J.S. Bach’s Magnificat with Armonico Consort; and J.S. Bach’s St John Passion with Oxford Bach Soloists.
As an ensemble singer, Sam has performed with various acclaimed ensembles including: the Springhead Constellation Choir and Orchestra, The Choir of the Age of Enlightenment, The Monteverdi Choir and The Marian Consort. Sam is also a founding member of Echo Vocal Ensemble, both singing and working alongside conductor Sarah Latto to deliver their projects since its inception in 2017. In spring 2025, Sam performed with the Dutch National Opera in a touring production of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas conducted by Camille Delaforge, as part of the ‘Young Baroque Voices’: an ensemble of aspiring singers selected from conservatories in the Netherlands.
Sam also has a special interest in collaborating with artists in other fields, including a long-standing association with artist Oliver Beer; as a solo performer in artist Ragnar Kjartansson’s ‘The Sky in a Room’ with Ikon Gallery; and as soloist in a project at Sadler’s Wells titled ‘Broken Chord’ created by dancer Gregory Maqoma and co-creator Thuthuka Sibisi.
Angharad Rowlands - Mezzo Soprano
Welsh mezzo-soprano Angharad Rowlands is a Rising Star of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment for 2025–27. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, she was generously supported by the Carr-Gregory Trust, the Norman Ayrton Award, and the Josephine Baker Trust. Angharad is a laureate of both the Oxford International Song Festival and the Leeds Lieder Young Artist Programmes, a finalist in the 2024 International Handel Singing Competition, and the winner of the 2023 Richard Lewis/Jean Shanks Award Song Prize.
In the 2025/26 season, Angharad completed her second year as a member of the Glyndebourne Chorus, covering roles including Zweite Knappe in Wagner’s Parsifal and Žena in Janáček’s Kat’á Kabanová. Other notable roles include the title role in Handel’s Ariodante, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Florence Pike (Albert Herring), Agnes/Troll 3 (WITCH), and 2nd Witch (Dido & Aeneas) at Royal Academy Opera; 2nd Bridesmaid (Le nozze di Figaro – Royal Ballet & Opera); cover Juno (Semele – Opéra de Lille); cover Praskowia (The Merry Widow – Glyndebourne Festival Opera); Quince/Fairy (The Fairy Queen – Longborough Festival Opera); Dido (Dido & Aeneas – Hurn Court Opera); and Nancy (Albert Herring – Byre Opera).
Her concert highlights include Bach’s St Matthew Passion with John Eliot Gardiner, St John Passion with Philippe Herreweghe, Schumann’s Requiem für Mignon at the Salzburg Festival, Handel’s Israel in Egypt at St John’s Smith Square, and Handel’s Messiah with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
In recital, Angharad regularly performs with Sholto Kynoch at the Oxford International Song Festival and has appeared at the Leeds Lieder Festival, International Lied Festival Zeist, and Wigmore Hall.
Samuel Jenkins - Tenor
Winner of the Berlin Opera Academy’s Luxton award and a graduate of the Royal College of Music, Samuel Jenkins is a British tenor of “operatic richness and delectability” (Haddo Arts).
In demand as an oratorio soloist, Samuel regularly appears across the UK and Europe. Recent engagements have included Bach’s Johannespassion in London, Oxford and Edinburgh; Handel’s Messiah at St Paul’s Cathedral; Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Holy Trinity Sloane Square; and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony at Romsey Abbey.
Samuel’s operatic roles have included Tamino (The Magic Flute), Don Ottavio (Don Giovanni), Don Carlos (Les Indes Galantes), and Dorvil (La scala di seta). In opera scenes he has performed the roles of Tonio (La fille du régiment), Camille (Die lustige Witwe) and Ferrando (Così fan tutte).
In recent years Samuel has appeared in a number of productions with Glyndebourne Festival Opera, spanning works by Puccini, Wagner, Poulenc and Ethel Smyth. Last season he was part of a semi-staged production of Berlioz’s Les Troyens which toured across Europe, culminating with performances at the Salzburg Festival, Berlin Philharmonie and BBC Proms.
Samuel is a Vicar Choral with the renowned choir of St Paul’s Cathedral, singing regular services as well as providing music at events of national significance. He also performs with a number of the country’s top ensembles including The Cardinall’s Musick, the Monteverdi Choir and The Sixteen.
Tristan Hambleton - Bass Baritone
Tristan Hambleton is a London-born bass-baritone whose rich career spans opera, oratorio, concert and recital across Europe’s leading stages. After studying Art History at Cambridge and Heidelberg, he trained in voice and opera at the Royal Academy of Music, London, and quickly established himself as an artist of versatility and depth.
On the opera stage, Tristan has brought to life roles from Verdi, Puccini and Handel through to George Benjamin and Stuart MacRae. He has appeared at the BBC Proms, Musikfest Berlin, Glyndebourne, Opéra National de Bordeaux, Welsh National Opera, Landestheater Salzburg and Opera de Lille, working with conductors including Sir George Benjamin, Barbara Hannigan, Emmanuelle Haïm, Carlo Rizzi, Sébastien Daucé, Sir Mark Elder and Dinis Sousa. Notable roles include King Priam in Berlioz’s Les Troyens, Father Truelove in Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, and Pluto and Pan in Locke’s Psyche.
Equally at home on the concert platform, Tristan has performed at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Salzburg Festival, Palau de la Música Catalana and Versailles, in repertoire ranging from Bach and Handel to Brahms and Elgar. Highlights include Handel’s Israel in Egypt with the English Baroque Soloists under Peter Whelan, Ein deutsches Requiem, Messiah, The Apostles with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and Mozart’s Requiem with both the Hallé and English Chamber Orchestras.
A passionate advocate for new music, he has created roles in works by David Bruce, Edwin Baudo and John Tavener, and was selected for the prestigious Mozart Residency at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. His debut recital disc, Day of these Days with Simon Lepper, will be released on Delphian Records in 2026.
The Hanover Band
Founded by Caroline Brown in 1980, The Hanover Band has an international reputation for the excellence of its performances and recordings of 18th and 19th century music; its players are some of the best in their field. The orchestra performs, records and undertakes education work regularly in the UK. It has toured throughout Europe, USA, Canada, Mexico and Beijing, appearing at prestigious festivals and in venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam; Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms) London; Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center New York.
The Hanover Band Chorus regularly works with The Band and is composed of leading choral specialists who are actively working in the early music world.
The Hanover Band is committed to education and has undertaken extensive work with schools, colleges, youth orchestras and universities. To celebrate the Battle of Waterloo 1815, Band members coached over 250 young players from Brighton, West Sussex, Chichester, Hampshire, Eltham and Enfield to play Beethoven`s Battle Symphony. They performed at St Pancras Station, London together with the full Hanover Band, to mark the anniversary.
During lockdown, The Hanover Band was the only UK orchestra recording. Lockdown coincided with the 250th anniversary of Beethoven`s birth and The Band recorded all nine Beethoven Symphonies from Stationer`s Hall in The City of London, broadcast on You Tube to an audience of 72,000 people.
The orchestra has an impressive discography of over 200 commercial CDs including an award-winning Beethoven cycle (Nimbus, Goodman/Huggett and, most recently, J S Bach’s Harpsichord Concertos (Signum, Arthur).
The Hanover Band is delighted to be joining Twickenham Choral for tonight’s performance.
Howard Ionascu - Conductor
After a degree in music at Manchester University, Howard’s diverse career began as a professional singer in Wells Cathedral Choir, performing on many recordings, broadcasts and international tours.
Choral conducting began in 1997 when he founded The Laudate Choir, which continues to perform regularly in venues across the south east of England. Howard is also Musical Director of the Exeter Philharmonic Choir.
Past conducting roles have included Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir, Finchley Children’s Music Group Trebles Choir and The Esterhazy Singers of London. Howard is also in regular demand as a guest rehearsal conductor, and in recent years has worked with Choir of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, Orlando Chamber Choir, City of London Choir, Rodolfus Choir, Guildford Choral Society, Winchester Philharmonic Choir and on Eton Choral Courses.
Howard has conducted a number of the leading UK orchestras and ensembles, including Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, London Mozart Players, English Chamber Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, New London Orchestra and Onyx Brass.
Howard has a long association with music education, having led departments at some of the UK’s finest educational establishments and directed the choirs at Winchester College, King’s Canterbury and Junior Royal Academy of Music.
