Chester Summer Music Festival kicks off with The Big Sing

Jun 29 2011 Ellesmere Port Pioneer

CHOIRS from across Cheshire will be in harmony for a massive singing event in the city on Saturday as the Chester Summer Festival gets under way.

The BIG SING! is taking place throughout the city – as part of MBNA Chestival – throughout the day with scores of choirs from all over the region.

School choirs, community choirs, women’s choirs and men’s choirs will be in tune at locations such as the Town Hall Square, Chester Cross, outside Debenhams and at the Cathedral Bell Tower.

This year, the event spills over on to Sunday, July 3 with the Big Sing Eve, a public singing event, taking place in the Town Hall Assembly Rooms at 7.30pm.

This mass singalong with feature all your favourite numbers from some of the greatest musicals of all time.

The opening event of the Chester Summer Music Festival takes place on Friday when acclaimed Italian jazz pianist Stefano Bollani comes to the Town Hall Assembly Rooms.

“Stefano Bollani is one of the most exciting, inventive and ingenious jazz pianists playing today,” says Andrew Cornall, the artistic director of the Chester Summer Music Festival.

Arguably the biggest stars of the festival arrive in the city on Saturday when The King’s Singers perform at the Town Hall.

They present Will You, Won’t You, Join the Dance?, an exploration of music inspired by dance over the centuries including works by Byrd, Britten and Poulenc.

4 Girls 4 Harps perform on Tuesday, July 5, at 7.30pm in the intimate surroundings of St Mary’s Centre.

This concert is for everyone, harp aficionados and music lovers alike. As well as playing beautiful music the girls will also provide an insight into this magical instrument.

And if your lunch break has become monotonous and predictable perhaps a visit to one of the lunchtime concerts in St Mary’s Centre showcasing some of the very best young talent, will start the afternoon off with a new inspired perspective.

St Mary’s doors open at noon for sandwiches, tea and cake with the concert starting at 1pm.

Andrew Cornell added: “This year Chester is packed full of international superstars and is the must-see music festival in the UK this year.

“There really is something for everyone within the programme, from jazz with Richard Rodney Bennet to UK firsts with tenThing Brassensemble.”