A WEALTH of homegrown artistic talent will complement carols for choir and audience at Cirencester Choral Society’s Biennial Christmas Charity concert at the Parish Church on Tuesday, December 21 (7.30 pm).

Proceeds from the concert will help the Society, and its partner charity The Churn Project, rebuild after the pandemic.

Grace Tushingham from Cirencester will play oboe sonatas by Telemann and Schreck, accompanied by John Wright on piano.

Grace began playing oboe aged nine. She was a student at Rencomb College and now studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff.

She is a founder member of the Darach Ensemble, a wind ensemble giving regular performances across England and Wales.

John Wright lives in Cheltenham. He pursued much of his career as a teacher and now works as a freelance musician. He recently edited many of the early works by Gustav Holst for first publication and is a trustee of the Holst Victorian House in Cheltenham. John was a previous organist at the church and was the Choral Society’s conductor around the millennium.

Judith Paris has won acclaim from audiences at previous concerts with her renditions of the spoken word. Judith was born in Cirencester and has appeared in a variety of film and TV productions from Dr Who and Phantom of the Opera to The Crown. Their performances will be interspersed with carols and chorales, with the audience joining the choir.

The concert will be conducted by the choir’s Musical Director Carleton Etherington and John Wright will accompany on organ.

Tickets are £15 for adults and free for U18s and are available from members, the Visitor Information Centre (01285 654180) and The Churn Project office at 14-16 The Waterloo (Mon-Wed 9.30am-4pm).

Anyone interested in joining the choir should visit cirencester-choral-soc.org.uk