The world premiere of the latest work by young composer Chris Grabham is to be performed at a Christmas concert in Wiveliscombe on Monday (December 23) at St Andrew’s Church.

The Wiseman Time Forgot is a Christmas oratorio for brass band, choir and solo instruments, with a narrator. It is based on a short story written by Henry Van Dyke, The Other Wiseman (1895).

Artaban, a noble from Persia, sees the holy star in the sky and like the other wise men starts to follow it. He hopes to meet Balthazar, Melchior and Caspar but is prevented by a sandstorm. Artaban continues his journey alone, hoping to find Jesus, and on his way encounters different characters and challenges. Chris’s music, with its Middle Eastern themes, creates atmosphere, intensifies tension and brings resolution.

Chris, 21, is the director of music of Wiveliscombe Town Band and assistant musical director for the Brewhouse’s production of The Railway Children. He comes from Ilminster, was educated at Richard Huish College, Taunton, and is now studying for a degree in composition for film and theatre with the Conservatorium of Music in ArtEZ, Arnhem, in the Netherlands. These studies have already led to collaborations with film-makers and theatre directors from around the world. Chris says this is something he is eager to pursue further.

Wiseman is Chris’s fourth big work. His first large-scale composition was written and performed in 2014, Raven’s Gate: The Musical, an adaptation of Anthony Horowitz’s best-selling book. The following year Chris’s Invaders was performed at Richard Huish College, with an orchestra of more than 40. A score and orchestration of Hercules for Wellington Pantomime Society followed in 2018, which went on to win a number of awards and nominations in the Somerset Pantomime Awards.

During his two-and-a-half years leading Wiveliscombe Town Band, Chris has written arrangements of film and television music, and of pop songs for the band, opening up a whole new repertoire, and their performances have been met with acclaim.

The town band is performing Wiseman with Wiveliscombe Community Choir, led by Tom Morrell.

As well as the oratorio, there will be festive music to enjoy, and carols to sing.

No tickets are required and entry is free. Concert-goers can support the band in a way they can afford, regardless of income, via donation buckets. The concert begins at 7.30pm.