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Folk singer Maddy Prior joins up with Carnival Band for Carols and Capers at Birmingham Town Hall

Renowned folk singer Maddy Prior is joining up once again with the Carnival Band during the festive season for their unique celebratory show Carols & Capers.

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Together they mix renaissance, modern and ethnic instruments with a refreshing cavalier attitude and plenty of humour, putting their inimitable stamps on a range of familiar and not-so-familiar festive fare.

The show arrives at Birmingham's Town Hall on Thursday, December 22.

Tossed together in 1984 on a 'let's see what we come up with' basis for a Yuletide Radio 2 broadcast, what began as a one-off session in a village hall in Cumbria has endured for more than 20 years and has become something of a tradition in its own right.

Of all the festive traditions, few have stood the test of time better than the Christmas carol. Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band know this more than most, having been inspired by the music of Christmas for the past 25 years.

Now and for the first time, the very best of these have been brought together on one album. The Best Of Maddy Prior and The Carnival Band collects 22 tracks from across their career.

Along the way can be found a mixture of the familiar and the less well-known, all presented in a most unique style.

With an extensive experience in folk, medieval, world and classical music between them, the singer and players guide us to exquisite places. Telling the Christmas story in a variety of ways, the likes of I Saw Three Ships, While Shepherds Watched, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen and The Holly Ivy are revealed as versatile, striking pieces of music with words to match.

Doors open on the night at 7pm. Tickets cost £25.50 and are available from the box office on 0121 780 3333.

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