Rufus Hound to Host Star-Studded Musical Theatre Lineup at Charity Christmas Concert in Covent Garden

The Actor's Church in Covent Garden will more than live up to its name on the Sunday before Christmas as a stellar lineup of twelve musical theatre actors will perform in aid of Children with Cancer UK at a special Christmas concert, accompanied by the students of the Musical Theatre Masterclass (MTM).

Actor, comedian and Wind In The Willows star Rufus Hound will host the spectacular Christmas charity concert on the evening of Sunday 18th December. He will be joined by a lineup that will bring festive stardust and glitter to Covent Garden, including Ramin Karimloo, Cassidy Janson, Ben Forster, Emma Kingston, Peter Polycarpou, Sandra Marvin, Jordan Shaw, Emmanuel Kojo, Carole Stennett, Norman Bowman, and Chris Johnson.

They will be supported by the MTM Choir - a group of talented students at the London performing arts school, run by west end, and soon to be Broadway, star, Michael Xavier. Michael is currently performing in The Secret Garden in Washington DC, and it has just been announced that he will reprise his role as Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard with Glenn Close on Broadway, starting the run of 16 weeks in February 2017.

Michael says: "I am so grateful to these incredible musical theatre stars who are performing in this very special Christmas concert. They are already so busy, starring in hit west end shows like Phantom of the Opera, Murder Ballad, Motown, The Bodyguard, In the Heights, Beautiful and Stepping out. It's incredibly generous of them to sing in our concert and help raise money for this fantastic cause."

When he is in the country, Michael is a regular teacher at MTM, which holds its weekly sessions at The Umbrella Rooms in Shaftesbury Avenue. MTM, which holds regular auditions for places, trains aspiring musical theatre performers from age 12 - 25 years, and is proud to have current young professionals of the west end stage and touring productions as students, such as Asha Banks, 13, who is currently playing Violet Beauregarde in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane and Violet Tucker, 12, who is playing Jane Banks in the UK tour of Mary Poppins. Other students who have performed professionally on stage and screen are Sebastian Croft, Scarlet Churchhouse, Zach Loizou, Isabella Pappas and Emily Carey.

MTM's resident teachers are musical theatre and acting professionals of the highest calibre. The Vice Principal of MTM and Head of Acting is Vivienne Storry (an acting lecturer and speech and drama specialist who has also worked as a casting director in TV, theatre and film). Head of Singing is Natalie Andreou (Wicked, Rock of Ages, Mamma Mia). Heads of Dance are Kelly Ewins (Singing In The Rain, Mamma Mia!, We Will Rock You) and Dena Lague (Matthew Bourne's Edward Scissorhands, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella).

To book tickets for Musical Theatre Stars at Christmas, go to http://www.wegottickets.com/event/380503

To audition for a place at Musical Theatre Masterclass, visit the website: www.mtmasterclass.com

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