Beccles Choral Society will kick off the musical celebration of the season with its popular annual Christmas concert at St Michael’s Church in Beccles, next Sunday, December 11.

This year their Yuletide Celebration will include pieces to mark the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare. There will be Ralph Vaughan Williams ‘Serenade to Music’, as featured in this year’s Last Night of the Proms, set to words from ‘The Merchant of Venice’.

Suffolk Strings will play pieces by William Walton from ‘Henry the Fifth’ and special guest Jason Riddington, star of BBC tv’s Casualty and Eastenders ,will read three of Shakespeare’s well-known verses and speeches. He will later narrate John Rutter’s ‘Brother Heinrich’s Christmas’, a delightful story for choir, orchestra and storyteller.

The concert will also feature the welcome return of the children of Thurlton Primary School and the winners of Beccles Young Musician of the Year. As ever, all of this will be mixed with traditional carols featuring choir, orchestra, children and most important of all, everyone in the audience. The concert will start at 4.30pm. Tickets cost £10 for adults with children under 16 free.

Tickets are on sale at the Public Hall box office, Beccles Books and from any member of the choir.