For its third outing to the church of St Catherine of Italy, Valletta, the St James Consort has prepared a seasonal selection baroque Christmas music.

The works chosen are the Concerto Grosso Op. 1 No.8 by Locatelli, the Pastoral Cantata by Scarlatti and the Christmas Concerto by Corelli.

The guest soprano is Pauline Longo, who has become a regular performer at St Catherine’s.

All three composers are contemporaries of Antonio Vivaldi, and all three were inspired by the traditional pastoral music of the shepherds used during the celebrations of the Nativity in Northern Italy.

The first to use these folk themes was Arcangelo Corelli in his famous Concerto Grosso No. 8, known as The Christmas Concerto. This became so

popular that it encouraged the other two composers to create works in a similar vein.

Together, the three pieces are guaranteed to get the audience into the Christmas spirit. But if that is not enough, then the St James Consort is also laying on mulled wine and mince pies after the performance.

The 14 piece consort, which is led by violinist Sarah Spiteri, is an initiative of St James Cavalier to present popular and less familiar chamber works to a diverse audience. This is why all concerts are family-friendly, so children are encouraged.

The concert will take place on Sunday, 17 December at the church of St Catherine of Italy in Merchants Street, Valletta at 11am. Admission is Lm2 (donation for the restoration of the church), which includes mulled wine and mince pies.