AN ambitious Lancaster drummer is gathering together an epic-sized band of local musicians in celebration of a shared favourite artist.

Drummer and French Horn player Ben McCabe is looking to bring to life a concert’s worth of the Christmas songs of prolific American songwriter Sufjan Stevens.

'Songs for Christmas' is to be performed at Lancaster Priory on Saturday December 17 utilising the arranging and conducting skills of Hugh Nankivell (National Theatre of Scotland, Opera North, Wilson + Wilson, Natural Causes) and Dean Brodrick (London Musicians Collective, Derek Jarman).

Matchless independent artist Sufjan Stevens – renowned for aiming to write 50 albums each encapsulating a state of America - has written, arranged and released 10 albums of Christmas Songs and made them available for others to play with a creative commons license.

Lancaster singer-songwriters will take the lead on different songs, becoming a chorus of backing vocalists on other tunes.

So far lead singers and instrumentalists are being borrowed from Paddy Garrigan and the Stroller Priests, Stephen Hudson and The Fiat Pandas, Turnstone, Steve Lewis’ Deep Cabaret, The Balkanics, Burst Horns, Off the Rails, Family Selection Box, Crooks and Claridge, The Clougha Mountain Bluegrass Boys.