A Christmas concert celebrating classical ballet! Highlights include the Nutcracker and Troika, as well as some pieces from our small ensembles.

Join Durham University Hill Orchestra to celebrate the Christmas season with a night of excerpts from ballet, sure to get you in the festive spirit. We’ll be playing a host of recognisable tunes, including arrangements of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, Stravinsky’s Firebird, Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, and the famous Troika, as well as spotlighting some small ensembles from within the group.

For extra joy, we’ll also be serving a free mince pie and drink – it is the season of giving after all!

£9 Standard

£7 Concession

£6 Durham Student Music Members

This performance takes place at Elvet Methodist Church, Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HL.

The concert will begin at 7.30pm and last until approximately 9.30pm with a 15 minute interval. Doors will open 30 minutes before the concert starts.

Join the Dunelm Consort and Players for 'A Dunelm Christmas', a collection of festive Early Music from across Europe!

The Dunelm Consort and Players present a wide variety of choral and instrumental works in a small chamber-sized setting. Our concert will be centered around 16th Century polyphony, and will include choral classics such as Tallis’ ‘O Nata Lux’, as well as some less known pieces.

The ensemble is made up of period instruments, such as lutes and harpsichord. In the programme, we will also incorporate repertoire for solo recorder, with an extract of a chamber piece by Elizabeth Jaquet de la Guerre, a prolific female early composer.

This event promises to be an engaging evening full of fantastic music!

£10 Standard

£7 Concession

£5 Durham Student Music Members

This concert takes place at St Oswald's Church, Church St, Durham DH1 3DQ.

The concert will begin at 7.30pm and last 90 minutes with a 15 minute interval. Doors will open at 7pm.

A musical about the most infamous bank robbing & murdering duo in American history - romance, crime, and an incredible soundtrack.

Featuring one of the most infamous romances in American history, Bonnie and Clyde tells a story of passion and ambition driving a couple to crime and their untimely end. The musical takes on a cyclical structure, opening with Bonnie and Clyde’s deaths, before flashing back to their lives up until that point. As the story unfolds, audiences follow their misguided ambitions. Bonnie’s desire for stardom mixes dangerously with Clyde’s desire for infamy, becoming a destructive journey that affects both the couple and those around them. With a score that blends rockabilly, blues, and gospel, the musical captures their story eloquently, depicting the corruption of the American Dream.

£8.50 Standard    

£7.50 Concession

£6.50 DST Members

This event takes place at Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre.

Doors will open at 7pm, the Performance will start at 7.30pm and will last approximately 140 minutes, including a 15-minute interval

Join us for the premiere performance of the newly formed Palatinate Ensemble! A concert of chamber groups and 20 piece ensemble featuring works by Shostakovich, Dvorak, Grieg and Amy Beach!

Durham University Palatinate Orchestra is proud to present the newly formed Palatinate Ensemble for their debut performance at St Oswalds Church! This new collective of elite musicians features 2 string quartets, a wind quintet and 20 piece chamber ensemble playing complex and challenging repertoire.

The ensemble will perform an arrangement of Shostakovich's 3rd String Quartet, a challenging blend of classical and modern compositional styles. One of our string quartets will perform Greig's passionate 'String Quartet in G Minor', while our other string quartet portrays the beauty and patriotic nature of American countryside with Dvorjak's 'American'.

Our Wind Quintet will perform 'La Cheminee du Roi Rene' by Milhaud, and Amy Beach's 'Pastorale'.

£10 Standard

£7 Concession

£5 Durham Student Music Members

This performance takes place at St Oswald's Church, Church St, Durham DH1 3DQ.

This production opens at 7.30pm and will finish at approximately 9.30pm. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start time.

Durham University’s Barbershop Choir, Full Score, invite you to ‘Be Our Guest!’ at their Michaelmas term concert. They will be singing Disney classics, heart-wrenching ballads, nostalgic melodies, and Barbershop favourites.

On Friday 6th December, Durham University’s Barbershop Choir, Full Score, invite you to ‘Be Our Guest!’ at their Michaelmas term concert. Fresh from their award winning, sold out show at the Edinburgh Fringe they will be singing Disney classics, heart-wrenching ballads, nostalgic melodies, and Barbershop favourites in the Music Department on Palace Green at 7pm.

Singing in both full chorus and quartets, this evening promises boater hats and braces, feel-good tunes and gorgeous close harmonies…

£7 Standard

£6 Concession

£5 Durham Student Music Members

This concert takes place at the Music Department Concert Room on Palace Green, Durham, DH1 3EP.

This performance will start at 7pm and last 45 minutes. Doors will open 15 minutes before the performance begins.

Join DUPO Symphony Orchestra in their first concert of the year - an engaging journey through history, with some timeless classics from Sibelius, Elgar and Wagner!

DUPO's Symphony Orchestra is proud to present a concert featuring a collection of pieces from important moments in history. Led under the baton of conductor Barney Howard, the orchestra will open with Wagner's grandiose Prelude to 'Die Meistersinger', casting us back to 16th century Germany.

Soloist Freya Hyde then takes us to post WW1 England with Elgar's passion filled Cello Concerto.

In the second half we are transported to Finland at the turn of the 20th century. Written as a musical protest against Russia's rule over Finland, Sibelius' 1st Symphony promises to be bold and inspiring.

£10 Standard

£7 Concession

£5 Durham Student Music Members

This performance takes place at Elvet Methodist Church, 8 Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HL.

This performance will begin at 7.30pm and alst approximately 95 minutes with a 15 minute interval. Doors will open at 6.45pm.

Come celebrate the festive season with Gospel Choir at our Michaelmas Showcase: “Exultation! A Christmas Celebration!” Hear toe-tapping Gospel classics and well-known Christmas favourites infused with rousing gospel harmonies.

Come celebrate the festive season with Gospel Choir at our Michaelmas Showcase: “Exultation! A Christmas Celebration!” We will be performing a wide-ranging repertoire that spans a variety of genres linked together by strong gospel influences, paying homage to its rich African-American cultural heritage.

From toe-tapping Gospel classics like “Total Praise” and stirring spirituals like “Steal Away”; to well-known Christmas favourites such as “O Come all ye Faithful” you will leave inspired, energised and uplifted by the melodious voices of our large, friendly choir. It’s a night not to be missed, perfect for getting yourself into the Christmas spirit.

£8 Standard

£7 Concession

£6 Durham Student Music Members

This event is taking place at the St Oswald's Church, Church St, Durham DH1 3DQ.

The event will begin at 7.30pm and the doors will open 30 minutes before the beginning of the show. The show will last 90 minutes with a fifteen minute interval.

Join Durham University Chamber Choir for The Waiting Sky, a captivating concert featuring a program of British and European choral music that reflects on winter’s beauty, hope, and spiritual anticipation.

Durham University Chamber Choir presents ‘The Waiting Sky’, a program that delves into the contemplative beauty of winter through British and European choral works.

The program moves from Poulenc’s Un Soir de Neige, capturing the starkness of a snowy evening, to Richard Rodney Bennett’s Five Carols, providing a warm moment of solace. Nils Greenhow’s new compositions lend a fresh voice to the seasonal theme, interwoven with Marian hymns, lullabies, and reflections on stillness and light.

Together, these works create a space for listeners to pause, embracing winter’s mysteries and the serenity of waiting in the dark season.

£10 Standard

£7 Concession

£6 Durham Student Music Members

This concert is taking place at St Godric's Church, Castle Chare, Durham, DH1 4RA.

Thsi performance will begin at 7.30pm. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start time.

Highlighting music that normally accompany a stage performance. This includes Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde (a tragic love story) and Tchaikovsky Sleeping Beauty depicting the lilac fairy and puss-in-boots.

Our Michaelmas concert will be highlighting music that normally accompanies various stage performances. This will include the opera Tristan und Isolde by Wagner, with a concert arrangement of the famous Prelude and ‘Liebestod’ (Love Death) acting as a condensed portrayal of the tragic love story. The concert also contains Sibelius’s incidental music for the play Pelleas et Melisande, telling the tale in nine movements ending with the heart-aching ‘Death of Melisande’. Finally, the concert features the suite of music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Sleeping Beauty with music depicting the lilac fairy, puss-in-boots and the white cat, as well as the famous ‘Rose’ Adagio and Waltz.

£14 Standard

£10 Concession

£8 Durham Student Music Members

This performance takes place at St Oswald's Church, Church St, Durham DH1 3DQ.

This production will begin at 7:30pm and last until approximately 9.10pm. Doors will open 30 minutes before the show starts.

"Elektra" tells the tragic story of the daughter and son of the late king Agamemnon planning retribution for their mother who murdered him. "The Women of the Thesmophoria" is a satiric comedy featuring the playwright Euripides that makes fun of the tragic genre and the role of women within it.

Polloi Productions presents a double bill of Euripides' "Elektra" and Aristophanes' "The Women at the Thesmophoria". This pair of plays represents the tragedy and comedy genres of Ancient Greek theatre.

"Elektra", translated by famed classicist Emily Wilson, describes the revenge plot of the children of Agamemnon against their murderous mother Clytemnestra. Follow Elektra and Orestes as they take revenge on the scheming woman who murdered their father.

"The Women at the Thesmophoria" is an adapted version by student Samantha Dotson. It attempts to bring to the modern stage the comedic work of Aristophanes as he tells of the plotted revenge of the women of Athens against the playwright Euripides. As the women bring him to trial for defamation, Euripides' kinsman Mnesilochus sneaks into their meeting dressed as a woman in hopes of changing their minds about Euripides. He is discovered, and Euripides and Mnesilochus have to scheme of a way to free themselves from the Thesmophoria before it's too late.

Content warnings: Violence / Scenes of a sexual nature

£7 Standard

£6 Concession (inc. Classics Society Members)

£5 Durham Student Theatre

This produciton takes place at the Mount Oswald Hub, The Drive, DH1 3LD.

The performances will begin at 7:10pm and last until approximatelyy 9pm with a 10 minute interval.

Join Durham University Big Band and Durham University Jazz Orchestra for their yearly Jazzy Christmas charity gig at the Assembly Rooms Theatre for an evening of festive classics, blazing solos and Christmas cheer!

Jazzy Christmas is the Durham University Jazz Ensembles’ yearly charity Christmas gig, and one of the most popular in the calendar. Join DUJO and DUBB at the Assembly Rooms Theatre for a night of Christmas classics, with a set from each band. The proceedings for the evening will be donated to our charity partner for the year.

£7 Standard

£6 Concession

£5 Durham Student Music Members

This production takes place at Sir Thomas Allen Assembly Rooms Theatre, 40 N Bailey, DH1 3ET.

The performance begins at 7.30pm and will finish at approximately 9.30pm, including a 20 minute interval. Doors open 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance.

Laugh yourself a merry little Christmas,

Watch an improv show,

We will keep you laughing 'til you're all aglow!

Shellshock! Improvised Comedy, Durham's premier improv comedy group, present their signature blend of scenes and sketches. The show is entirely unscripted and made up on the spot - no two shows are ever the same. Come along for an evening of laughter as you give prompts and suggestions to help shape every scene!

Warnings: As the show is improvised, we can't predict the content exactly. However, we always strive to avoid heavy topics and keep our shows light. There will be audience participation and possibly some strong language.

£5 Standard

£3.50 Concession

£3.50 Durham Student Theatre

This performance will take place at Durham Students' Union, Dunelm House, New Elvet, Durham, DH1 3AN.

This performance will begin at 7:30pm and last until approximately 8:45pm. Doors will open 15 minutes before the start of the performance.

“Merry DUMT-mas!” is Durham University Musical Theatre Troupe’s festive showcase, featuring Christmas classics and musical hits from Anastasia, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Elf the Musical and more to get you in the mood for a very Durham Christmas!

"Merry DUMT-mas!" is Durham University Musical Theatre Troupe’s whimsical Christmas showcase, filled with festive cheer and iconic holiday numbers. This seasonal celebration brings together a delightful mix of classic and contemporary songs from beloved musicals like Anastasia, The Muppet Christmas Carol, and Elf the Musical.

With captivating performances, sparkling energy, and a dash of Durham charm, DUMT’s talented cast creates a heartwarming experience that captures the joy and nostalgia of the holiday season. Perfect for families, friends, and Christmas lovers,

Merry DUMT-mas! promises to get everyone in the festive spirit and set the stage for a magical holiday.

£7 Standard

£6 Concession

£5 Durham Student Theatre Members

This production takes place in the Concert Room, Music Department, Palace Green DH1 3RL.

This performance begins at 8pm, and doors will open 30 minutes before the start time.