Guildford Choral to Perform MASS IN TIME OF WAR at Holy Trinity Church

Local audiences are invited to experience an evening of choral and orchestral splendour as Guildford Choral returns to Holy Trinity Church in Guildford on Saturday 14th March 2026. The fully auditioned choir will be joined by outstanding award-winning soloists: Aneska Diament (Soprano); Angelina Dorlin-Barlow (Contralto); Jacob Cole (Tenor); and Oliver Barker (Bass). Guildford Choral promises an unmissable concert filled with passion and musical excellence.

The exciting programme features Haydn's dramatic 'Mass in Time of War' and a vibrant contemporary work, 'I Sing and Ever Shall', by award-winning British composer Janet Wheeler. Mozart's celebrated 'Symphony No. 40 in G minor' will introduce the programme. The music journeys across the centuries, exploring resilience and hope in times of conflict.

Under the expert direction of internationally renowned Musical Director Jonathan Willcocks, Guildford Choral will join forces with the acclaimed professional chamber orchestra, Southern Pro Musica, to deliver a performance that marries classical intensity with contemporary brilliance.

Opening the evening's performance will be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's 'Symphony No. 40 in G minor'. Composed in 1788, this dramatic masterpiece pulses with restless emotion and is one of Mozart's most celebrated and widely performed works.

At the heart of the concert is Franz Joseph Haydn's 'Mass in Time of War', also known as "Paukenmesse". Composed in 1796 amid the threat of Napoleon's advancing armies, the work reflects the anxieties of wartime Europe while ultimately offering affirmation and hope.

Complementing Haydn's masterpiece is 'I Sing and Ever Shall', an exhilarating contemporary work by award-winning British composer Janet Wheeler, which celebrates the universal human impulse to sing, weaving together words by Emily Dickinson, Rabindranath Tagore, Sara Teasdale, Abraham Cowley and Robert Herrick. From moments of lyrical stillness to dazzling displays of rhythmic vitality - including a movement inspired by Scottish mouth music - Wheeler's score offers a joyful and immersive celebration of voice and creativity.

The evening's soloists bring an impressive array of awards, prizes and competitive scholarships. Their achievements range from major competition successes and prestigious college prizes to first‑class degrees and sought after early career appointments with leading opera companies. They are supported by the Josephine Baker Trust.

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