South Oxfordshire Choir has announced its first concert of the year, taking place in Wallingford town centre.

The choir will be performing Rossini's Petite Messe Solennelle on Saturday, February 24 at 7.30pm at St. Mary’s Church.

The performance will be conducted by Crawford Wiley from Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. 

Choir member Julia Spence said: “We hope that readers will be able to come and hear us and some top class professional soloists sing our hearts out.

“Rossini wrote the work in 1863, 30 years after he had retired from composing operas. Although a mass, it has some wonderfully light touches and cracking melodies that you’ll be humming for hours afterwards.”

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The choir, whose members are primarily drawn from Wallingford and the surrounding areas, perform three concerts a year: in February, June and December.

Chairman John Linton said: “We’ve been going for over 30 years and sing a variation of material including hit from shows, shorter works and all kinds of music.

“People really love singing, as do we. It really helps with mental health and we all love getting out of the house, together and talking about many things.

“We rehearse every Monday evening in St Mary’s from 8pm to 9.30pm. Anyone is welcome to join us. We’re very friendly and relaxed and people of any age can come to three rehearsals free of charge.”

Tickets for the concert will be available on the door or can be reserved in advance by calling 07802 443113. The choir also asks those interested to visit their website.