OPERA North is preparing to spread Christmas cheer across Yorkshire and beyond with a packed month of orchestral and choral spectaculars, live soundtracks, seasonal world music, pop-up performances and festive fun for all the family.

The Orchestra of Opera North will be giving Santa a run for his money with a December dash through Leeds, Kirklees and out to the east coast, providing a seasonal soundtrack to deserving audiences throughout the region. On 9 December, they join forces with Leeds Festival Chorus for Festive Box of Delights at Leeds Town Hall, a programme of classical favourites with a seasonal flavour, plus stunning orchestral and choral excerpts from Mascagni’s Cavalleria rusticana, a highlight of Opera North’s Autumn season.

Then it’s on to Huddersfield Town Hall for The Snowman and Cinderella, accompanying Raymond Briggs’ cherished animation on the big screen with Howard Blake’s enchanting score. Narrator John Savournin opens the evening with Prokofiev’s Cinderella Suite, full of mystery and atmosphere and accompanied by spellbinding illustrations. For hometown audiences, the double bill is reprised at Leeds Town Hall on 17 December.

The Orchestra is back in Kirklees on 14 December for the Opera North Christmas Concert at Dewsbury Town Hall, the much-loved annual gathering bringing them together with the company’s Chorus, Young Voices, and Children’s and Youth Choruses. Adrian Leaper conducts the massed forces, with a seasonal programme including Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Overture and audience carols to close.

With the Howard Assembly Room’s Victorian interior candlelit and festooned with decorations, the Christmas programme at Opera North’s chamber venue has become a fixture for Leeds audiences looking for a festive experience with a difference. Romanian singer Oana C?t?lina Chi?u opens the season on 1 December with a special programme of tango and songs sung by her country’s national diva, Maria T?nase, her rich, smoky voice accompanied by the evocative sounds of the cimbalom.

December also finds young musicians taking centre stage, with all of the 1100 children in Opera North’s In Harmony schools programme participating in festive performances. The annual In Harmony Christmas Concert at Morley Town Hall features the project’s 5 to 7-year-olds accompanied by a brass ensemble from the Orchestra of Opera North and conducted by James Bingham. On 5 December, over 100 children from Windmill and Low Road Primary Schools will gather under the dome at Trinity Leeds for the traditional Opera North Festive Fanfare, a free half hour concert of Christmas hymns interspersed with rousing brass band music from 2.30pm.

Opera North’s Young Voices will open their festivities at a Christmas Choir-a-thon in Leeds Trinity at 11am on 9 December. They join 15 other choirs singing for Christmas shoppers for a total of 16 hours across Friday and Saturday in aid of the St Vincent de Paul Society, supporting those in poverty in Leeds and the surrounding area.

For more information and to book tickets for any Opera North performances, visit operanorth.co.uk or contact Box Office on 0844 848 2720.