Canberra Symphony Orchestra chief executive Henry Laska says as far as he knows, the CSO has never in its 64 years presented a Christmas concert.

This year, in response to audience demand for more concerts, the orchestra has decided to remedy that - and it's been helped by an early Christmas present in the form of a one-off $50,000 Federal Government grant.

But it's seed money rather than a complete covering of costs and Laska hopes the Canberra community will come to the two concerts - one a matinee aimed at family audiences, the other an evening performance of A CSO Christmas.

Chief conductor Nicholas Milton won't be leading this concert. "I am delighted that we have been able to secure two brilliantly talented entertainers to present this performance," he says. "Conductor Timothy Sexton is as versatile a musician as this country has ever produced, and he will be joined by the inimitable performer, dancer, singer, songwriter, actress, and TV personality, Rachael Beck.

"Timothy is an extremely talented and charismatic musician who engages wonderfully with the orchestra and the audience, and he and Rachael have a great on-stage chemistry as well, so audiences are in for a real treat to see these two on stage together."

Sexton and Beck have performed with the CSO before and Sexton has perfect form for this project: he has been conducting Christmas concerts in Adelaide for the past 25 years. But his enthusiasm hasn't waned - he will conduct another four Christmas concerts back home before the year is out - and besides, he says, every one is different. It's not just a matter of trotting out the same selections and the same arrangements: each concert is prepared individually.

And, Beck says, it's not like Carols by Candlelight with its multiple performers. This is mostly just her, as well as the choir and orchestra.

"I've done many Christmas concerts over the years," Beck says.

Sexton says the Woden Valley Youth Choir will also be performing and another soloist, Canberran Cara Bessey, will be featured in a program that contains a wide range of repertoire both old and new.

"It will be begin with a Christmas Overture arranged by Tommy Tycho, a medley of Christmas stuff," Sexton says.

Other orchestral selections include the Waltz of the Flowers from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker ballet and Leroy Anderson's Sleigh Ride.

The vocal selections, mostly featuring Beck, range from the traditional - O Come All Ye Faithful, The First Noel - to the traditional with a twist - a medley of Silent Night and Night of Silence - to modern Christmas favourites such as White Christmas and It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. Bessy will sing Jingle Bell Rock and a duet with Sexton on Away in a Manger.

There are some distinctively Australian selections such as Sally Greenaway and Tanya Kiermaier's A Touch of Christmas (dedicated to the Woden Valley Youth Choir) and Christmas Day by William James and John Wheeler.

And then there are the decidedly novel choices.

Sexton says, "We're doing Talk to the Animals - I'll be singing that one. It leads into Donkey Carol so it does make some sense."

There will be a Christmas-themed adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's My Favourite Things and a version of The Little Drummer Boy in which the orchestral part dominates.

Sexton and Beck also expressed interest in being part of future CSO Christmas concerts. If this one goes well, it could herald the start of a new tradition.

Milton says, "A CSO Christmas is a great way for the orchestra to end what has been a magnificent year and I'm very excited to be returning in 2015 for another year of stunning music with our fabulous Canberra Symphony Orchestra."