Birmingham Bach Choir kick off 2025 with their always popular annual Come and Sing! event, which this year offers choral singers an opportunity to rehearse and perform Handel’s inspiring Coronation Anthems.

Taking place at Selly Oak Methodist Church, Birmingham, and led by renowned conductor Paul Spicer, the afternoon workshop begins at 2pm, and concludes with an informal performance of the work.

German-British composer George Frideric Handel penned the anthems for the historic coronation of George II and his consort Queen Caroline in 1727. Consisting of four pieces - Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened, Zadok The Priest, The King Shall Rejoice and My Heart Is Inditing - the anthems perfectly matched the grandness and opulence of the occasion.

A firm feature of every coronation since - including the crowning of King Charles III in 2023 - the tour de force, Zadok The Priest, is perhaps the most well known of the collection.

Birmingham Bach Choir are one of the region’s most distinguished (and longest established) large chamber choirs. The choir, who celebrated their centenary in 2019, perform music from six centuries. Forthcoming public performances include Bach’s Mass In B Minor (5 April 2025, Lichfield), and a French-themed summer concert (5 July, Malvern).

Tickets for Birmingham Back Choir: Come And Sing! Handel's Coronation Anthems cost £25 (which includes refreshments and music hire).

For tickets and more information, see: birmingham.bachchoir.com