Inspired by the Yule celebrations of ancient Britain and Scandinavia, our 12th Night Yule Concert and Viking Feast is a magical evening of glorious music and merriment, with a real Boar’s Head Procession and copious toasting in honor of the Norse god, Frey. All that is followed by a sumptuous Yule feast of Scandinavian delights.

This year’s 12th Night rings in the New Year with brilliant new carols by Andrew Adams and Howard Helvy. The solstice dawn is greeted with music by Brian Holmes, Don Compleavit, and the Italian renaissance master, Claudio Monteverdi.

Also featured are the other-worldly sounds of Canada’s Andrew Balfour, with three pieces based on Cree Nation melodies.

Holiday gems from the Baltic and Orpheus’ favorite 12th Night tunes round out this year’s edition of 12th Night.

And then there’s the feast:

Our catered feast is a traditional Scandinavian Julbord, featuring a traditional Yule ham, our chef’s acclaimed Swedish meatballs, all the traditional sides like German potato salad and Black Forest cake, and copious amounts of wine and mead.

Andrew Balfour (b. 1967) is a Cree Nation composer and conductor from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

While just an infant, Balfour was taken from his birth parents and placed with a white family. Music-lovers, they recognized and nurtured Andrew’s affinity for music at an early age.

Many of his compositions are based on traditional Cree melodies or songs written by indigenous composers. Ambe is an enthusiastic welcome song: “There is good life here.” Stars are the central image of Anang, which speaks of them as an ancestral shield of love and protection over the earth. The hypnotic blaze of a bonfire inspired the primal dance called Vision Song.

Balfour was nominated for the 2023 Juno Award, the Canadian Classical Album of the Year (Small Ensemble). He has been commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Chamber Choir, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir.