Festive Music Brings Communities Together At Duke’s Hall

This December, The Duke’s Hall in Marylebone will host a large Christmas concert bringing together community choirs from Woodford Green, Wimbledon, Brackley and York with The People’s Orchestra. The event, called Something Magical: Wrapped Up, celebrates local talent and teamwork, turning one of London’s best-loved concert halls into a place where voices from across the city come together in festive spirit.

The concert takes place on Sunday, 14 December 2025 and will include a mix of Christmas favourites and cosy festive music. The songs have been arranged to show off both the power of the choirs and the beauty of the orchestra. For many singers, performing in Duke’s Hall is a special chance to sing in a professional space usually used by students and young artists of the Royal Academy of Music. For audiences, it’s an easy and welcoming way to enjoy the winter season and support community music at its best.

Duke’s Hall is known across London for its clear sound and warm atmosphere. It sits at the heart of the Royal Academy of Music and plays an important role in Marylebone’s cultural life. Hosting community performances here reflects a growing movement in London’s arts scene—opening up professional spaces to more people and encouraging new audiences to experience live classical music.

The choirs have spent months preparing for the show. Each group has rehearsed in its own local area before joining together to create a rich, full sound that fills the hall. Their collaboration reflects the shared values of The People’s Orchestra, known for its inclusive approach and support for creative community projects.

The programme will feature familiar Christmas songs and film music that families will recognise, including pieces from Chicken Run, Coco, Home Alone, Frozen, and Zootopia. There will also be festive hits like Ed and Elton’s Merry Christmas and a cinematic version of Fairytale of New York plus many more surprises. These choices aim to create a relaxed, joyful concert perfect for families, local residents, and anyone looking for a fun, high-quality seasonal event. With its mix of popular tunes, warm choir harmonies, and lively orchestral sound, Something Magical: Wrapped Up offers a refreshing alternative to the big commercial Christmas shows, while keeping the focus on community and musical excellence.

Event Information Summary

Part of what makes this event special is seeing community singers perform on a stage usually used for highly trained music students and young professionals. Regular visitors to the Royal Academy of Music will notice a different kind of energy when large choirs from Wimbledon, Woodford Green, and singers travelling from places like Brackley and York fill the hall with colour, movement, and shared excitement. For friends and families of the performers, it is a chance to see people they know on a respected stage, which makes the evening feel even more important.​

The People’s Orchestra provides musical leadership and helps shape the whole concert. Known for bringing together players from many backgrounds, the orchestra has a flexible style that works well with big community projects. This means the concert can live up to the standards of a major London venue while still feeling friendly, welcoming, and rooted in community music-making. The event shows how Christmas music can link people through both familiar traditions and a shared sense of belonging to the same city.​

The aims of The People’s Orchestra fit closely with wider changes in the arts, where many organisations want to reach more people and show how culture can benefit communities. Across the UK, venues and arts bodies are working more with neighbourhood groups, inviting local performers into high-profile spaces to share the stage. The Duke’s Hall concert is part of this movement, proving that a respected hall can support both top-class performances and strong inclusion.​

For people living in Marylebone, Something Magical: Wrapped Up adds a bright, festive date to the winter diary. Duke’s Hall sits on Marylebone Road, close to shops, restaurants, and good public transport, so it is easy to fit the concert into a day or evening out. The event is also likely to bring in visitors who have never been to the Academy before, helping more people discover the area’s rich cultural life.​

The sound of many voices singing together is expected to be one of the most powerful parts of the evening. In a hall designed for clear, ringing acoustics, massed choirs can create both gentle, thoughtful moments and big, joyful climaxes that match the spirit of the season. With the choirs and orchestra placed centre stage, audiences will be able to enjoy the details of the arrangements and feel the shared energy of everyone performing.​

Organisers expect strong interest, helped by the hall’s reputation, the wide networks of the choirs, and the timeless pull of Christmas music. The concert is designed to welcome different types of audience members, including families, regular concertgoers, and people who support community arts projects. Its timing in December also gives it a wider impact, underlining how music can bring people together at a time of year often linked with connection and reflection.​

Duke’s Hall itself has a long history as a central performance space, hosting musicians for more than a century and playing a part in shaping British musical life. This heritage adds extra meaning to the concert, placing today’s community performers in a line of artists who have used the space to share music with the public.​

As London moves into another busy festive season, events like Something Magical: Wrapped Up show how the city can celebrate both professional skill and grassroots creativity. The mix of a prestigious venue, local commitment, and warm Christmas atmosphere gives the concert a clear identity in the crowded December schedule. For the performers, it is a chance to reach new listeners; for the audience, it is a reminder of how Christmas music can connect different neighbourhoods and bring people together under one roof.​

A short history of The People’s Orchestra

The People’s Orchestra is a community-based charity orchestra founded in 2012 in the West Midlands by Sarah Marshall. It began after a small group started busking and grew into a full orchestra designed for skilled amateur musicians who wanted a place to regularly play modern, accessible music from films, TV, games, and shows.​

From its early days in Birmingham and West Bromwich, the orchestra has focused on being open and inclusive, welcoming players of many ages and backgrounds. Over time it has added new ensembles, including The People’s Show Choir network launched in 2019, and has performed regular concerts across the Midlands and beyond.​

As a charity, The People’s Orchestra also runs volunteering and outreach programmes that help local people build skills, confidence, and work experience, using music as a tool for social good. The group has been recognised for its community impact, including receiving The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021, and continues to champion access to high-quality music-making for all.