THE annual concert by Harrogate Festival Chorus Course at Ampleforth Abbey this year features a work by the Yorkshire based composer Andrew Carter.

The concert, on Saturday, August 23, is HFCC’s third visit to Ampleforth.

Its previous performances were of Haydn’s Creation and Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

Musick’s Jubilee was commissioned from the composer in 1993 for the 50th anniversary of Otley Choral Society. It is not available as a recording so this will is a rare opportunity to hear it performed.

The composer will support the choir and principals during the week before the concert and will attend the performance.

Also on the programme is Gounod’s Messe solennelle de Sainte Cécile, a lyrical and serene setting of the Mass written in 1854, first performed on St Cecilia’s Day in 1855.

The soloists, all Yorkshire based, are John Dunford (tenor) and Sarah Ogden (soprano), who have sung with HFCC before, Quentin Brown (bass baritone), and Lucy Appleyard (mezzo soprano), originally from Great Ayton.

Music director Thom Meredith said: “It is a pleasure to sing for such an appreciative and friendly audience in the wonderful surroundings of Ampleforth Abbey.”

Tickets, £15 (£12 concessions), are available at the door or in advance from Elijah Todd Newsagents, Helmsley, Summit Bakery, Kirkbymoorside, and Pickering tourist information centre.

HFCC was formed in 2008, initially to meet demand expressed by singers and musicians taking part in Harrogate Festival for a summer course in Yorkshire. Many of the singers are members of choral societies and choirs in Yorkshire; others come from further afield and this year, one bass singer is even from Belgium.