Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio (BWV 248) is a cycle of six cantatas composed in 1734 for the Christmas season. The six parts were first performed between Christmas Day 1734 and Epiphany 1735 at the Nikolaikirche and Thomaskirche in Leipzig. Combining jubilant choruses, arias and Lutheran chorales, it ranks among the most frequently performed large-scale works of Baroque sacred music.
The Dutch Chamber Choir performed the Weihnachtsoratorium in December 2025 at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, with the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin under the direction of Peter Dijkstra and soloists Carolyn Sampson and Tim Mead.
The Hague Toonkunstkoor performed the Weihnachtsoratorium as part of the Bach commemoration year 2025 in The Hague and Delft.
Ars Musica performed the Weihnachtsoratorium on 13 December 2025 in the Grote or St. Michaëlskerk in Oudewater, with in addition to the regular concert choir also a choir school, girls' choir and student choir.
The Dutch Chamber Choir collaborated for the 2025/2026 season for the first time with Cappella Mediterranea and conductor Leonardo García-Alarcón for a new performance of the Weihnachtsoratorium.
Hét Concertkoor performed in December 2025 the first four cantatas of the Weihnachtsoratorium in Theater De Maagd, accompanied by the Amsterdam Mendelssohn Chamber Orchestra.
