As practices for the Edgecumbe Choir’s next concert are due to start on Thursday 19 July, the Choir is once again offering the opportunity to local singers to apply for performing membership.

This concert to be held on Saturday 20^th October at the Liberty Centre, Wairaka Road, Whakatane as part of the Golden Jubilee festivities at Labour Weekend will be a special performance of perhaps the best-known work in the European choral tradition, Handel’s Messiah.

The event will be special because in addition to the performing members of the Edgecumbe Choir, members of the public will be able to take part, as well as provide an audience.  Invitations have also been issued to members of other Bay of Plenty choirs and to the Gisborne Choral Society for their members to come and join in the occasion, so that with much of the seating capacity of around 500 taken up by singers, the presentation should be a rousing one.

In addition the Edgecumbe Choir is inviting more than the usual number of vocal soloists required for Messiah to take part, so that the performance can involve many of the solo singers who have sung in the Choir’s concerts over the years.

The whole massive production, which will also include an orchestra, will be conducted by the Edgecumbe Choir’s Musical Director, Tony Hogg.

In order to ensure that there are sufficient copies of the music, people who are not performing members of the Edgecumbe Choir will have to register in advance if they wish to sing.  There will be a charge of $15 per person, which will be the same as the price for audience groups of six or more.  Though not essential, these casual participants may also wish to attend a few practices before the performance.  Those people wishing to be considered for performing membership, or to just take part in the Messiah performance, should contact the President, Don Murray, on (07) 308 8700 or Warner Haldane on (07) 308 0215.