Bingham and District Choral Society to hold Voices Through Time concert to mark 800th anniversary of St Mary’s Church

A special concert is to form part of a church’s 800th anniversary celebrations, with a medley of music from across the centuries.

This year marks 800 years of St Mary and All Saints Church, Bingham, and as part of this landmark anniversary a choral society are to perform a concert of joyful and uplifting music in ‘Voices Through Time’.

Bingham and District Choral Society’s Autumn concert will take place at the parish church on Saturday (November 1) from 7pm to 9pm including an intermission, with a programme of popular choral music including Handel’s Hallelujah Chorus and Zadok the Priest, Le Cantique de Jean Racine by Fauré, and the Jazz Missa Brevis by Will Todd.

The society’s publicity officer, Tim Whiting, said: “Because we are the Bingham and District Choral Society, the church is our ‘home base’. This is a significant event in Bingham.

“800 years is an incredible amount of time, for anyone interested in history it just blows you away.”

Among those singing at the concert will be four choir members who also sang as part of the parish church’s 750th anniversary celebrations, 50 years ago, when the choral society was in its infancy.

There will also be an organ solo of Sigfrid Karg-Elert’s Now thank we all our God, by Michael Overbury — a “wizard” on the piano and organ — who will also provide accompaniment throughout.

Tickets for the concert — £15 for adults and £5 for under 18s — are available via the society’s TicketSource page, via 03336 663366, or on the door from 6.30pm.

“There’s Bob Chilcott’s Dancing Through Time which is an upbeat number, and Gabriel Fauré ‘s Cantique de Jean Racine is a gorgeous piece,” Tim added.

“All of it is amazing stuff. Zadok the Priest was also sung 50 years ago — the programme highlights the historical significance of some of the pieces, with classic pieces across the centuries, and some modern pieces.

“This has given us an opportunity to do a more varied, hand-picked programme.”

Founded in 1972, the society is a 70-strong mixed, soprano, alto, tenor and bass choir, and performs four regular concerts a year, performing in Bingham, and also Southwell, Newark, and Lincoln.