This weekend, the Blackbird Leys Choir is marking its fifth birthday by staging a celebration concert. With orchestral accompaniment, the concert features a full performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria, the choir’s most ambitious work yet.

The glittering event will be held at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St Hilda’s College, Cowley Place, Oxford, on Saturday January 22, with the doors opening at 7pm.

The choir has an impressive past with its first adventures watched by the nation in The Singing Estate, a four-part documentary in 2006. The documentary followed the members of the choir fly to Italy to sing O Sole Mio at the Verona coliseum, and travel to London to sing O Fortuna at the Royal Albert Hall. That year they were also invited to sing for the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

This year, the choir wants to bring some of the past sparkle back with the concert aiming to recreate some of the prestigious activities of their first years, where venues included Oxford’s Sheldonian Theatre and Ashmolean Museum. To maximise this opportunity guests will include the High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, and the return of the choir’s conductor for the original TV series, Ivor Setterfield, who has since continued his television career on the BBC series Maestro, is much anticipated.

Programme notes will be kindly written by the celebrated cellist Julian Lloyd Webber. Following the celebratory concert on Saturday, the choir hopes to repeat their performance at churches across the country — invitations to visit a community church should be directed to the choir.

Since starting five years ago, the choir was managed by a large staff during filming, and has been supported generously by bodies local to Oxford since. However, with grant support from the Oxfordshire Community Foundation, all organisation is now handled by the choir members themselves.

Tickets in aid of the Blackbird Leys Choir cost £15 / £10.

For ticket information, or to invite the choir to sing at your church please contact the choir by email at, committee@blackbirdleyschoir.org alternatively you can visit their website, www.blackbirdleyschoir.org