Just before Christmas on December 18th, the Residentie Bachkoor will sing a Hague version of the traditional English Christmas celebration , “Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols,” at the Nieuwe Badkapel. The Christmas concert is a festive and meaningful combination of familiar and new Christmas music from all eras and in all languages. Lada Šoljan, human rights lawyer and sought-after speaker, will read texts about Christmas, peace, and security. Visitors can sing along to several well-known carols. A perfect evening to get into the Christmas spirit with friends and family.
Journey through music history
From the refined Christmas motet “Hodie Christus natus est” by the 16th-century Dutch composer Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck to the sweet carol “What sweeter music” by the contemporary British composer Rutter. Felix Mendelssohn, Francis Poulenc, and Gustav Holst also wrote atmospheric music for Christmas. Of course, well-known Christmas carols such as “O come all ye faithful , ” “Eer zij god in onze dagen” (Holy Mother in Our Days) , and “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” (Es ist ein Ros entsprungen) are also included. Christmas at its finest.
Music interspersed with appropriate lyrics
The music is connected by texts about Christmas, peace, and security by Hague poets and writers such as Constantijn Huygens and Godfried Bomans. Lada Šoljan, a human rights lawyer based in The Hague and a sought-after speaker, will read the texts. Šoljan explains: “I myself come from Croatia, a country deeply affected by war in the 1990s. That’s precisely why I came to work in The Hague, the city of peace and justice. What a joy to be able to share the message of ‘peace on earth, good will toward men’ with the audience through thoughtfully chosen texts during this wonderful concert.”
First Christmas concert of the new conductor
Geerten van de Wetering accompanies the Residentie Bachkoor on the organ. The choir also sings a cappella, unaccompanied. The young, enthusiastic conductor Rodrigo Lluch, successor to Jos Vermunt, conducts this atmospheric festival of The Hague Lessons & Carols. He is conducting his first Christmas concert. The concert will take place in the Nieuwe Badkapel in The Hague (Scheveningen), where the audience will be seated around the choir members. An intimate setting to kick off the holidays. The Hague Lessons & Carols is a program to listen to, be moved by, and even sing along to. Christmas 2025 begins with the Residentie Bachkoor!
– Thursday, December 18 at 8 p.m. in the Nieuwe Badkapel in Scheveningen.
· – Tickets: normal price €27.50 / youth price and Stork Pass €10.00.
On Sunday, December 14, 2025, the Atrium Foundation will host the 10th edition of the Christmas Sing-ALong at the Atrium City Hall. It will be a special anniversary year where everyone can sing along to the best repertoire from the past 10 years, along with Gregor Bak and Francis van Broekhuizen, who will be participating in the Christmas Sing-ALong for the last time. There will also be a special guest this year, who will be announced later.
Program Christmas-Sing-ALong 2025 Under the inspiring leadership of conductor and pianist Gregor Bak, the more than 300 choir members and 1,100 visitors, along with guest artists Francis van Broekhuizen, the Uzory Ensemble, Theaterfanfare Kunst voor het Volk conducted by Sarif Tribou, and online viewers via the livestream produced by Cue Creative and a special guest, will perform traditional worldly Christmas carols during this unforgettable Christmas concert! To reminisce, Omroep West will broadcast this anniversary edition on Boxing Day, Friday, December 26, 2025, starting at 5PM.
Register as a Christmas Choir Member for Christmas Sing-ALong 2025 You can register as a choir member only at the bottom of this page on this website. Participation in the Christmas choir costs 35 euro per person and Ooievaarpashouders receive a 50% discount with their personal Ooievaarspas. The rehearsal dates in 2025 are:
Wednesday, December 3, from 7PM to 10PM – Atrium City Hall (admission only with a valid e-ticket)
Wednesday, December 10, from 8PM to 10PM – Atrium City Hall
Saturday, December 13, from 1PM to 3PM – Atrium City Hall
Sunday, December 14, Christmas Sing-ALong Christmas Concert 8PM to 10PM – Atrium City Hall (exact time schedule for choir members will follow)
Christmas Sing-A-Long 2025 Tickets Tickets for the Christmas Sing-A-Long 2025 can only be purchased online at the bottom of this page on this website and nowhere else. A ticket costs 22,50 euro per person and Ooievaarsphouders receive a 50% discount with their personal Ooievaarspas.
Christmas Sing-A-Long 2024 Aftermovie with subtitles For a glimpse of the Christmas Sing-A-Long, click on the image below to watch the Aftermovie 2024 with subtitles produced by Cue Creative.
We are very happy to announce our choir’s upcoming Christmas concerts. The title of our concert is taken from the text of The Christmas Song composed by Mel Tormé, who co-wrote the lyrics with Robert Wells. It’s a well known, well loved seasonal song starting with “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”.
We hope to create a similar warm atmosphere with our concert which includes Abendlied, a beautiful sacred motet by Josef Rheinberger, John Rutter’s charming What Sweeter Music and Dirait-on by Morten Lauridsen, with our usual selection of traditional Christmas carols.
For the concerts in The Hague, we have invited the soprano soloist Heleen Bongenaar to take part. We will be accompanied by Bert Mooiman (organ) and Eduardo Proença (piano) under the expert guidance of our conductor Sanda Audere.
Audience participation in some of the carols and traditional interval refreshments are, as usual, part of the fun.
Step into the festive spirit this holiday season with a special Romanian Christmas Carols Concert at the Royal Christmas Fair. Wednesday, December 10 | 15:30–17:00 | Royal Christmas Fair, The Hague
Organised by an enthusiastic group of Dutch-Romanians from the Haaglanden region, this event brings to life the heartwarming traditions of Romanian caroling, where families and friends go from door to door sharing songs, joy, and the true spirit of Christmas.
Everyone is welcome to join! If you speak Romanian, you’re especially invited to sing along. The afternoon will also feature an impromptu performance by the children of the Romanian School in The Hague, and a special closing act by Andrada Jazz trio performing international & Romanian Christmas carols.
And who knows, if you join the carols singers, you might just get to taste some delicious Romanian treats!
Free entrance P.S. And if there are any Romanians who would like to join the carols choir, just e-mail us to info@orianavandersande.nl
The Church of St John & St Philip warmly invites everyone to celebrate the Advent and Christmas season together. Join one or more of these special services:
Sunday 30 November 17:00 – Advent Carol Service by Candlelight
Sunday 14 December 17:00 – Traditional Service of Lessons & Carols by Candlelight (Followed by Mulled Wine & Minced Pies)
Christmas Eve – Wednesday 24 December 16:00 – Crib Service Nativity (Followed by Mulled Wine & Minced Pies) 23:00 – Christmas Midnight Communion
Christmas Day – Thursday 25 December 10:00 – Christmas Festival Communion (For All Ages)
SAVE THE DATE! The annual American School of The Hague Winter Bazaar is back! Come shop from over 80 local vendors on Saturday November 22nd, from 10am-3pm. Get your unique gifts and decorative items in time for Sinterklaas and Christmas. Treat yourself to festive baked goods, gourmet coffee and hot chocolate, delicious pretzels and fancy tostis and olliebollen while your kids enjoy the bouncy castle, activity zone and face painting.
Free entrance and parking at ASH campus at 200 Rijksstraatweg in Wassenaar
