My Fair Lady Star to Be Soloist In NOEL! NOEL! 2017

The tenor Joel Parnis takes over M. Fair Lady role from Mark Vincent and wows Paul on opening night

2017 NOËL! NOËL! set to deliver the sentimental (including a gorgeous and little-known choral work from Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows - Part 1) with the usual dose of fun (a new Brandenburg take on The Twelve Days of Christmas)

Programming Noël! Noël!, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra's annual and popular Christmas concerts, is Artistic Director Paul Dyer's favourite job.

"Noël! Noël! brings so much joy to people from all walks of life, faiths and ages" says Paul, "how can I not get swept up in that beautiful wave of happiness and positivity?"

As with his Christmas Day lunch menu, Paul likes to add a unique flavour that makes each year a new and memorable experience for the groups of families and friends that attend the concerts each year. For 2017, he found that 'something special' when he attended the opening night of M. Fair Lady, directed by iconic actress Dame Julie Andrews.

"Tenor Joel Parnis had taken over the role of Freddy from Mark Vincent and made a massive impression on me. He totally seized the moment and I was captivated by his commanding stage presence, incredibly beautiful tone and ability to draw the audience in with each word. I knew by interval that I needed to sign him up for Noël! Noël!"

In addition to carols and Christmas songs like O Holy Night, Silent Night and Once in Royal David's City, Joel will sing a new arrangement of Bring Him Home from Les Miserablés, Irving Berlin's White Christmas and a new and irreverent The Twelve Days of Christmas. "We've got naughty and nice in 2017," jokes Paul.

Another highlight in 2017 will be a beautiful choral work written by Alexandre Desplat for the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1. My Love is Always Here can be heard in the background during a scene in the Godric's Hollow graveyard. "The song was only ever released as a bonus track on a limited edition collector's box set. It's a rarity and this will be an absolute treat for all the Harry Potter fans," says Paul.

Alongside the musicians of the orchestra playing on period instruments, the Brandenburg Choir will soar in music by Palestrina, Gibbons, Rutter and Fauré, as well as in carols like Deck the Halls and Hark the Herald Angels Sing, finishing with a rousing O Come, All Ye Faithful, which is part of the Noël! Noël! tradition.

"It's joyful and intense, sacred and secular, modern and ancient, deeply moving and uplifting," says Paul. "It's carols and entertainment, carrying all the wonder and surprise of the Christmas season."

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