THE Shaldon Singers are giving their Christmas concert on Saturday, December 5 at St Peter’s Church, Shaldon, under the baton of musical director Nigel Crabtree.

The concert is, in part, dedicated to the memory of the celebrated choral conductor and composer Sir David Willcocks, who died this year aged 95.

He visited Shaldon several times, conducting the Shaldon Festival choral workshop, most recently at the festival’s 20th anniversary in 2009.

The music of Vaughan Williams takes up most of the first half of the concert, with his English Folksongs for choir, and excerpts from the Mystical Songs, some of which feature baritone soloist James Quilligan.

The folksongs are early 20th-century works, based on traditional songs that were recorded and preserved by enthusiasts at the time as this type of music was in danger of disappearing completely.

In contrast, the concert opens with Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium, a hauntingly beautiful modern setting of a Latin seasonal text.

Carols for choir and audience make up the second half, with compositions and arrangements by Sir David Willcocks taking centre stage, together with a reading paying tribute to him.

The concert begins at 7pm, and a retiring collection will be made in aid of the Alice Cross Centre, Teignmouth.