Birmingham Bach Choir's annual Come and Sing! workshop returns on Saturday 27 April.

The popular event gives Midlands-based choral singers the rare chance to rehearse, and perform, with the renowned chamber choir under the baton of Paul Spicer - one of the UK’s most respected choral conductors.

Come and Sing! takes place at Wylde Green United Reformed Church, Britwell Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 5SW – the first time it has been held in the in the north of Birmingham. The afternoon begins with a warm up and rehearsals, followed by tea (with the choir’s own home-made cakes), and concludes with an informal performance (for which family and friends are welcome to attend).

Having explored works by Dvořák, Duruflé, Beethoven and Mozart for previous Come and Sing! sessions, this year focuses on Puccini's Messa di Gloria.

Written by the 22-year-old Giacomo Puccini in 1880 as a graduation exercise, Messa di Gloria (also known as Messa a quattro voci) is a moving and exciting work featuring several themes the famed Italian composer would later reuse in other compositions.

Remarkably, following its initial successful airing, Puccini filed the mass away and turned his attention instead to opera, penning such enduring works as La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly. Messa was eventually revived in 1952 - 28 years after Puccini’s passing - when it was celebrated as an early masterpiece. It has since become a firm favourite with choirs the world over.

Birmingham Bach Choir are one of the region’s most distinguished (and longest established) large chamber choirs. The choir, who celebrated their centenary in 2019, perform music from six centuries. Critically acclaimed, their recent appearance at Lichfield Cathedral, in March, with Bach’s monumental St. Matthew Passion was praised for its drama and tenderness by MusicOHM.

Come And Sing! Puccini's Messa di Gloria takes place at Wylde Green United Reformed Church, Sutton Coldfield, on Saturday 27 April 2024 from 2pm, with Birmingham Bach Choir joined by accompanist Martyn Rawles (Lichfield Cathedral’s Organist and Assistant Director of Music), and conducted by Paul Spicer. Tickets for are £17 (or £20 including music hire).

For more information, and to book tickets, see: birmingham.bachchoir.com