Press release: Cathedral choirs among choral lineup at Prescot Festival this June

Unfortunately, the 2020 Prescot Festival of Music & the Arts is now CANCELLED, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Click here for an update.

The 2020 Prescot Festival promises a feast for fans of choral music, with an impressive array of local choirs on the 10-day programme.

First up, on Saturday 20 June, is the Prescot Festival Chorus (pictured), a ‘Come & Sing’ choir that gathers once a year and attracts 100+ singers from across the region. This year’s performance is a selection of highlights from Handel’s Messiah, perhaps the most celebrated choral work of all time, featuring the famous ‘Hallelujah Chorus.’

In the second half of the evening concert, no fewer than three of Liverpool Cathedral’s official outreach choirs take to the stage—Liverpool Cathedral Junior Choir, the Gilbert Scott Singers (formerly the Youth Choir) and the all-age Liverpool64.

The Anglican cathedral’s neighbour, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, is represented the following day by the prestigious Liverpool Bach Collective, founded there in 2013. Director Philip Duffy was Master of Music at the cathedral from 1966 to 1996, and had the rare privilege of both composing and conducting for Pope John Paul II’s visit to the city in 1982.

The ensemble will sing a Bach cantata followed by traditional Choral Evensong on Sunday 21 June.

Monday 22 June sees a younger generation of singers perform, when schoolchildren from across Prescot are invited to take part in the Second Annual Primary Schools’ Choir Festival.

Choral events take place in the majestic, 17th-century Prescot Parish Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin, although other concerts and cultural events over the 10-day Prescot Festival take place in other venues across the town.

While choirs are undoubtedly a star of the 16th annual festival, the programme offers something for everyone. Phoenix Concert Orchestra, Dr Jazz and the Cheshire Cats and musical theatre company BOST are just a few of the other artists appearing between Friday 19 and Sunday 28 June.

Find out more about the Prescot Festival at www.prescotfestival.co.uk.