Northamptonshire’s World War One heroes will be celebrated in a special concert at Royal & Derngate.
One of the largest amateur choirs ever assembled at the theatre will take part in Heroes for Peace: an armistice concert on Sunday November 11.
The theatre released the following statement:
Taking place at Royal & Derngate on Sunday 11 November, Heroes for Peace is a unique concert marking the 100th anniversary of Armistice that marked the end of the First World War.
The concert will both commemorate and celebrate the heroes of Northamptonshire, telling the stories of Edgar Mobbs, Walter Tull, The Anglian Regiment and many more local people. The concert features one of the largest amateur choirs to ever be assembled on the Derngate stage and will be hosted by BBC Radio Northampton’s John Griff, directed by Royal & Derngate’s Artistic Director James Dacre and include readings by Graham McKechnie, Lord Lieutenant of Northampton, David Laing, and Headmistress of Northampton School for Girls, Dr Helen Stringer, performing alongside members of Royal & Derngate’s Youth Theatre.
The first part of the musical programme features Northampton Male Voice Choir, conducted by Stephen Bell with Andy Poole on piano accompanied by Orchestra da Camera.
The second part of the evening includes Karl Jenkins’ Choral Suite from The Armed Man, Everyone Sang by David Bednall, featuring the words of war poet Siegfried Sassoon, and the rousing favourite, Jerusalem, with vocals from Northampton Bach Choir and Daventry Choral Society and instrumentalists from Orchestra da Camera, Roderick Elms on the organ and Lee Dunleavy wielding the baton.
Chair of the organising committee, Paul Southworth, OBE, DL, commented: “This very special evening of remembrance will celebrate our local heroes and the peace that we all now enjoy as a result of their sacrifices. I’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to making this unique event possible and I look forward to welcoming audiences to share in this celebration.”
This commemorative concert can be seen in Derngate auditorium on Sunday 11 November, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are priced from £11* and can be booked by calling Box Office on 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk. All profits from the evening will go directly to support the British Legion.
* A charge of £3 applies for all transactions of £15 and over. Does not apply to Groups, Friends or Disabled Patrons, and is per-transaction, not per-ticket.
