One the most ambitious amateur concerts to be staged in the county is taking place at Tewkesbury Abbey on Saturday 30th June. It involves three choirs, a symphony orchestra and five conductors as well as internationally renowned Cheltenham-based soloist James Gilchrist.

Massed choirs and a symphony orchestra will combine forces with celebrated tenor James Gilchrist at Tewkesbury Abbey, for a major commemoration of the centenary of the end of the First World War.

With more than 150 voices and instrumentalists under the batons of five conductors, the event is one of the most ambitious of its kind involving amateur musicians from across Gloucestershire.

“You can’t get much bigger than three county choirs, a symphony orchestra, five conductors and top tenor James Gilchrist as soloist, when you are putting on a concert!” said Viv Hargreaves, chair of Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra. She added: “This major celebration of the centenary of the ending of the First World War at Tewkesbury Abbey should literally shake the rafters. We have more than 100 voices from The Oriel Singers, the St Cecilia Singers and Cheltenham Youth Choir and 50 orchestral players performing Jonathan Dove’s new work ‘For an Unknown Soldier’.

“There will also be individual performances from the ensembles involved and we hope this event underlines the great musical traditions of this county as well as paying respect to our First World War heroes.”

Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra together with the St Cecilia Singers, from Gloucester Cathedral, The Oriel Singers, from Cheltenham, and Cheltenham Youth Choir will put on a programme of music by English composers, featuring Jonathan Dove’s major new work ‘For an Unknown Soldier’, whose lyrics are based on poems by the Great War Poets, including Ivor Gurney and Wilfred Owen.

Conducting the work will be The Oriel Singers’ musical director Ben Sawyer, who said: “This project will provide an opportunity for the community to remember those who died and fought in the First World War. It will also be a celebration of amateur music making within Gloucestershire and will provide participants with the chance to perform in one of the county’s prestigious venues.

“We are excited to be partnering with the Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra and St Cecilia Singers in this concert and we have invited the Cheltenham Youth Choir to join us as the children’s chorus in the performance.”

The first half of the concert will showcase each of the individual ensembles: Gloucestershire Symphony Orchestra, under Glyn Oxley’s baton, will play Vaughan Williams’ ‘Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis’; St Cecilia Singers, under Jonathan Hope, will perform two of Hubert Parry’s ‘Songs of Farewell’ on the centenary of his death; The Oriel Singers will sing ‘Stabat Mater’ by modern composer Alissa Firsova, who will be attending; and Cheltenham Youth Choir, under Rachel Bowen, will sing some of Jonathan Dove’s ‘Friday Afternoon’ songs.