Christmas crackers at the Cabaret Club

BAUBLES, decorations, mistletoe and merriment will flourish as wassail bowls will be filled and much joy will be had as The Little Brass Band make merry with their own very special Christmas Crackers concert at the Cabaret Club.

The Little Brass Band is Ballarat’s finest brass quintet with a reputation that stretches far and wide, having played and won awards throughout Victoria – and beyond.

The Christmas Crackers concert will be a night sprinkled with stardust as the audience sits back and enjoys the magic of traditional, contemporary, familiar and not so familiar Christmas music.

The current members of the Little Brass Band are Frank Dyer on trumpet and piccolo trumpet, Claire O’Brien on trumpet and flugel horn, Janice Ballinger, French horn, Cassandra Hiscock, tenor trombone and Alan Williamson on tuba.

The band was established 15 years ago and Janice Ballinger who’s been with the group since inception said that people are often surprised at the versatility of a brass quintet.

“We play a range of music from jazz to classical and all genres in between,” she said.

“Of course, the focus of our Christmas Crackers concert will be carols and well-known songs for this time of year, with a sprinkling of quirky compositions arranged by our trombone player Cassandra. And there is definitely going to be plenty of opportunity for the audience to join in some popular Christmas carols.

“Many Christmas carols have stories to tell, how in a material world everyone has something to contribute, from the Little Drummer Boy, to the page in Good King Wenceslas, and the shepherd in the bleak mid-winter, each has a gift that money cannot buy. It’s a lovely time of year and we hope that our interpretations of some well-known music will bring joy to those who hear it.”

The Cabaret Club is gaining a reputation as a fantastic venue for intimate concerts and performances, with seating at tables for up to 90 people.

Great food and reasonably priced drinks make this a really great place for a group of friends to come for a Christmas night out. Tables are reserved for guests dining before the show. Tapas menu and drinks at bar prices.

The Little Brass Band’s Christmas Crackers goes Thursday, 20 December from 8pm, doors open 6.30pm. Tickets are $15 concession, $20 full price and are available from thecabaretclub.com.au.