Live Christmas music. The gift that keeps on giving.
Here are some of the best festive season offerings in December 2025 – all wrapped up.
Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s Noel! Noel! Photo @ Keith Saunders
It wouldn’t feel like Christmas without Australian Brandenburg’s Noël Noël!, would it? Artistic director Paul Dyer’s thoughtful program of festive music always provides fresh angles and a fascinating insights into festive season music. Joyful, sometimes irreverent and always fun, the 2025 edition of Noël Noël! kicks off in Melbourne on 6 December before playing venues across Sydney from 9–18 December.
The Song Company returns this December with Hark! 2025 – its much-loved annual celebration of the festive season. The program rejoices in family, memory, and belonging, bringing together timeless Christmas favourites and sparkling contemporary works from Arvo Pärt, Judith Weir, Gabriel Jackson, and Bob Chilcott, alongside Australian composers Alice Chance, David Yardley, Joe Twist and Ruth McCall. The tour begins on 4 December at St Paul’s, Manuka, with stops at Blackheath and Newcastle, Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay, Sydney and Wollongong. Details here.
The acclaimed a cappella quintet The Idea of North is on the the road again, this time with Silver Stars, a celebration of the season tied up with flawless harmonies. They play the Concourse Theatre in North Sydney on 4 December; St Andrew’s, Forrest ACT (5 December); Rosny Farm, Tasmania (7 December); Melbourne Recital Centre (10 December) and Woodville Town Hall, Adelaide on 12 December. More details and bookings here.
Luminescence Chamber Singers (pictured above) have two festive programs this December. The first, Christmas Classics (12 and 13 December), ranges from mediaeval carols, through Mouton, Bach and Britten, to Yuletide favourites like Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.
The second, A Sunburnt Christmas (14 December) offers more of a Down Under perspective on seasonal music. Bringing together Luminescence Children’s Choir, pianist-composer Sally Whitwell, soprano Rachel Mink and the Ellery String Quartet, this very nearly-all-Aussie program celebrates summertime, family, the promise of new life, beach days and long summer nights. The music includes works by Ross Edwards, Andrew Ford and Elena Kats-Chernin among others.
Pinchgut Opera: Messiah. Photo © Anna Kucera
Taking a back-to-basics approach, Pinchgut Opera present Handel’s Messiah in its original version as performed in Dublin in 1742. A cast of just 12 outstanding singers, together with the Orchestra of the Antipodes, aims to recreate the translucency of the work as Handel first imagined it, led from the harpsichord by Erin Helyard who is, remarkably, conducting the work on period instruments for the very first time. Until 3 December, City Recital Hall, Sydney, pinchgutopera.com.au
Sydney Youth Orchestras extend an invite to SYO White Bay Christmas Concert with SYO’s Philharmonic Orchestra, our heartwarming Christmas concert at 2.30pm on Sunday 7 December featuring beloved traditional carols and festive favourites played among the towering turbines and industrial architecture of White Bay Power Station. Wander through the festive market filled with artisan stalls, delicious food trucks, and multiple bars serving seasonal favourites.
Parramatta’s River City Voices also revives its Slam Messiah from 2022 on 6 December – a chamber performance of Handel’s oratorio interspersed with poetry from local Western Sydney artists.
The Penrith Symphony Orchestra is joined by the Penrith Youth Orchestra and Glebrook Ballet Theatre for a family-friendly Christmas extravaganza on 7 December with a program that spans from Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Raindeer.
Also on 7 December is a Christmas program from the Sydney Art Quartet and baritone Simon Lobelson stuffed with Baroque arias, Romantic art song and more.
Hayes Theatre Co is taking is taking the idea of the giving season seriously in Carols by Cabaret is an annual charity event that raises much needed funds for the exceptional work of the Wayside Chapel. Over its 10 years, the event has raised over $100,000 to assist those less fortunate in our community. It’s at the Hayes Theatre in Potts Point on 14 December and you won’t spend a better $99 this Christmas.
Over the Bridge, celebrate the spirit of Christmas with the Willoughby Symphony Orchestra and Choir on 14 December in a concert of carols and classics.
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs have issued an invitation to one of the most impressive and uplifting events of the Christmas season – Carols at the House, three concerts (December 12, 13 and 14) in which conductor Brett Weymark and the Sydney Philharmonia Christmas Choir and Orchestra will be joined by musical stage stars Mitchell Butel, Annie Aitken and Alexander Lewis. A highlight of the program will the premiere of a newly commissioned work from Australian composer Joe Twist, Christmas in Summer, inspired by “the unique joy of Christmas spent under the blazing sun”.
Elizabeth Scott. Photo supplied
Also from Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (on 13 December), a special “Part 2” performance of JS Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, a richly expressive Baroque interpretation of the Nativity story brought to life in a one-off performance conducted by Elizabeth Scott and featuring special guest soloists Jacqueline Porter, Hannah Fraser, John Longmuir and Christopher Richardson, alongside Sydney Philharmonia’s acclaimed Chamber Singers and the full Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra.
Celebrating Christmas and the end of a very busy 50th anniversary year, The Australian Chamber Orchestra decks the halls of its harbourside home for Carols On The Pier, intimate concerts (18-22 December) featuring the enchanting voices of Luminescence Chamber Singers and made for the whole family. Wrap up the experience with free Christmas craft activities for the kids while you soak up the festive foyer atmosphere and breathtaking views.
Newcastle Chamber Choir presents its Christmas Concert – a program of beloved holiday season favourites and beautiful contemporary works – at Christ Church Cathedral, Newcastle, on 20 December and at St Peter’s Church, East Maitland on 21 December.
The Christmas in Darwin Association bring Carols By Candlelight to the Darwin Amphitheatre on 7 December, featuring a 70-voice choir, a team of soloists and a surprise appearance from Santa.
Christmas Actually. Photo supplied.
Brisbane Chamber Choir sings Handel’s Messiah in the QPAC Concert Hall on 2 December. This year’s Lord Mayor’s Christmas Carols is on 6 December on the Riverstage at Roma St Parkland. A spectacular line-up includes Bluey & Bingo, Dami Im, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Brisbane City Gospel Choir, and more.
Now in its eighth year, Christmas Actually is touring Queensland from 2 December. Starring Naomi Price and Libby O’Donovan and featuring an all-star cast of vocalists including Stefanie Caccamo, Luke Kennedy, Irena Lysiuk, Tom Oliver, Alisha Todd, Mat Verevis and Drew Weston, it revisits the magic musical moments from the Love Actually soundtrack – songs by Mariah Carey, Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, Eva Cassidy, Kelly Clarkson, The Beach Boys and The Beatles. Tickets here.
The QSO also gets into the festive spirit with a screening of Home Alone and a live performance of the sparkling John Williams score across 5–6 December at the Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre.
The Pacific Chamber Players tour to Cooroy and Caloundra (7 & 21 December) with A Christmas Soiree – a program that blends classic carols with classical works. Meanwhile, Fractio Modi traverse the European musical landscape in A medieval Christmas in Brisbane and Witta across 7–13 December.
QPAC’s longest running event, Spirit of Christmas, returns to the QPAC Concert Hall (17-19 December), this time with musical theatre performer Daniel Belle (Les Misérables, Cinderella) and soprano Nina Korbe (West Side Story) and hosted by the multi-talented Christie Whelan Browne. The Queensland Symphony Orchestra (conducted by Simon Kenway), the Spirit of Christmas Choir and Voices of Birralee are on the bill, too.
Christmas music with a backbeat? Check out A Merry Motown Christmas (Redland Performing Arts Centre, 19 December), a festive concert experience brought to life by Brisbane Motown and Soul specialists The 8-Tracks.
This year’s Adelaide Town Hall Christmas Concert (16 December) is a joyful Christmas Sing-Along featuring the Australian Girls Choir and the City of Adelaide Pipe Band. Bring the family, friends, and your Yuletide spirit. Everyone is welcome to sing along. And best of all, it’s free.
At the Adelaide Entertainment Centre on 19 December, Southern Cross Symphony will be providing the live soundtrack for Love Actually in Concert, a special screening of the movie. If it’s not too hot, wear a Christmas jumper. If it is, a Santa hat will suffice.
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra. Photo © Alastair Bett
The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra decks the Federation Concert Hall on 6 December for a joyful, laughter-filled celebration of the season. Hosted and conducted by Guy Noble, with baritone Samuel Dundas and the TSO Chorus, this festive favourite features Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, Silent Night, highlights from The Nutcracker and the Hallelujah Chorus. Expect sing-alongs, surprises and plenty of Christmas cheer – with prizes for the best-dressed audience members. A sparkling, family-friendly concert guaranteed to warm hearts and lift spirits.
TSO is also throwing a party for the littlies on the morning of 13 December – Christmas Crackers, with conductor Gary Wain, host Gina Rose and the Sugar Plum Fairies Dancers.
The rafters of St Mary’s Cathedral, Hobart will ring to the sounds of the Derwent Symphony Orchestra, Southern Strings, the Deep South Chorus and a line-up of vocalist in Carols at St Mary’s on 13 December.
Bel Canto Young Opera is hosting a Christmas Gathering at St David’s Cathedral on 19 December. Guest artists include Michael Lampard, Anastasia Gall, Isobel Latimer, Allison Farrow, Andrew Short, Pillinger String Quartet, Rosemary Holloway and Jennifer Marten-Smith. Details here.
Australian Chamber Choir. Photo © Dianna Wells
Among the period staples in this year’s Australian Chamber Choir Baroque Christmas concerts (6 December at Mount Macedon; 7 December at Middle Park, and 13 December at Dunkeld), an excerpt from Christopher Willcock’s Southern Star, his setting of poetry by the late Michael Leunig. For this work, the ACC is accompanied by Katia Mestrovic on harp. The program includes Australian premieres of Raffaella Aleotti’s And there was with the angel a multitude (Facta est cum angelo, 1593) and Mikołaj Zieleński’s The Kings of Tharsis, Arabia and Sheba (Reges Tharsis, 1611).
Melbourne Bach Choir and Melbourne Bach Chamber Choir round out a year of fine choral singing at St Johns Anglican Church, Camberwell (6 December) with Christmas Fanfare 2025, a program of music for the season featuring works by 16th to 21st century composers. Along with the traditional music of Christmas, the concert also includes works by Herbert Howells, Cecilia McDowall and Jonathon Dove and Calvin Bowman’s new setting of Jacaranda Carol by Australian poet Mark Tredinnick. Rick Prakhoff conducts, accompanied by organist Calvin Bowman and a brass ensemble.
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra bring a bit of mischief and whimsey to the holidays with a performance of James Horner’s score from How The Grinch Stole Christmas next to the live film on 5–6 December.
On December 8, Arts Centre Melbourne and 3AW invite you to “unwrap the magic of music” in a Christmas Melodies concert of carols and festive favourites performed by musical theatre stars Dale Burridge, Bridget Costello and Etuate Lutui, the Salvation Army Staff Band and the National Boys Choir.
Conductor Ben Northey takes to the Hamer Hall podium for the MSO’s Classic Kids: A Symphonic Christmas (13 and 14 December), a 50 minute extravaganza perfect for the whole family featuring singer-presenter Jess Hitchcock. The 13 December matinee is a relaxed performance – great for the littlies and those with sensory issues.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra presents Handel’s Messiah in Hamer Hall on 13 and 14 December. Sofi Jeannin conducts, with Warren Trevelyan-Jones directing the MSO Chorus and a classy line-up of soloists in Samantha Clarke, Ashlyn Tymms, Andrew Goodwin and Morgan Pearse.
Nicholas Dinopoulos leads nearly 200 singers of the Australian Boys Choral Institute and The Vocal Consort in On Christmas Morn, a traditional festive gala concert at Melbourne Recital Hall on 13 December.
Silvie Paladino and John Foreman’s 40-strong Australian Pops Orchestra will boost the festive mood in The Great Christmas Singalong, a mix of traditional and modern carols where audience participation is actively encouraged. Two shows, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, 20 December.
Perth’s HIP Company will present its annual concert of festive Early Music featuring hidden gems and well-loved favourites. This year’s concert, on 18 December at features Anna Maydwell (recorders), Jane Cameron (violin), Krista Low (viola da gamba), Bonnie de la Hunty (soprano) and James Huntingford (harpsichord).
For something more contemporary, join Helpmann award winner (and Perth International Cabaret Festival artistic director) Michael Griffiths for a festive collection of his favourite Christmas carols at His Majesty’s Theatre (on 17 December). From modern-day winners like Wham!’s Last Christmas, the disco delights of Boney M’s Feliz Navidad and jazzy standards like Let It Snow, it’s a strictly silly season program. Local heroes Gregory Brenton (drums) and Karl Florisson (bass) will help get you into the swing.
And on 20 December, West Australian Symphony Orchestra returns to RAC Arena for this year’s edition of the Lotterywest Christmas Spectacular. Conductor Jen Winley and host Genevieve McCarthy hold tghe reins on a show featuring vocalists Calista Nelmes, Jess Hitchcock, Johnny Manuel and Gina Williams. Watch out for a special guest from the North Pole!
