The Emsworth-based Renaissance Choir sings music written in homage to Mary the Virgin in Petersfield

Come and join the Renaissance Choir in Petersfield on Saturday 23 March to hear music written in homage to Mary the Virgin from across the ages.

Over the ages, composers have found the Virgin Mary to be a source of deep inspiration. Our programme is about peace, tranquillity and wonder. We include well-known pieces such as Rachmaninov’s Bogoroditse Dyevo along with works by Poulenc and Holst. From the Renaissance, we sing pieces by Byrd, Lassus and Victoria.

Full price tickets are £15, and under-25s pay £2. These are available from Ticketsource via www.renaissancechoir.org.uk, from One Tree Books in Petersfield or on the door.

We’re a group of around 34 singers from West Sussex and Hampshire who enjoy the challenge and fun of singing a cappella, though some of our singing is accompanied. We also like to split our singers into separate choirs so to achieve additional effects.

We put music of the Renaissance period at the heart of our repertoire. We generally try to perform lesser-known music or to premiere new works or arrangements, some of which are written for us.

In our programming, we try to make our music accessible by performing something for everyone – we like variety. And we often seek to place the works we are performing in a historical context and establish links between the music and the artists and art that are contemporaneous with it.