CHRISTIANS are to fill Portsmouth’s Guildhall with worship as part of an ambitious musical weekend.

Noel Tredinnick conducts Prom Praise

'Prom Praise’, which features stunning music from a professional orchestra and a specially-formed choir of local singers, is coming to the city later this month.

The weekend, from April 29-30, includes a concert at the 2,000-seater Guildhall on the Saturday night, featuring conductor Noel Tredinnick and the All Souls Orchestra. Christian author Fiona Castle will also speak during the event. All Souls musicians will then join Sunday morning worship in churches around Portsmouth.

The ‘Prom Praise’ concept is a concert that features high-quality musicians and singers performing classical extracts with religious themes, traditional hymns and modern worship songs - combining something of the spirit of Songs of Praise and The Last Night of the Proms.

The conductor, Noel Tredinnick, also conducted during the recording of the BBC’s Songs of Praise in Portsmouth’s Anglican cathedral in October 2004.

Cathedral organist David Price, is organising the weekend with local branches of the Royal School of Church Music (RSCM). They have invited Langham Arts, which is based at All Souls Church, Langham Place, in London, and has organised Prom Praise concerts for 17 years, to visit.

“The idea is that this is first and foremost an excellent evening of entertainment that Christians and non-Christians can enjoy side-by-side,” said David. “The quality of the musicianship on show is beyond question.

“Having said that, the performers will be people who believe that music is a gift from God. The event should help to inspire those of us who are Christians, and the lyrics, music and high standard of presentation should speak clearly to non-churchgoers about what we believe.

“And the involvement of professional musicians in our own churches on the Sunday morning is an added bonus – it should help us all raise our horizons about the possibilities of parish worship.”

Local branches of the RSCM have recruited a mass choir of local singers for the occasion. Tickets for ‘Prom Praise’ are now on sale from Portsmouth’s Guildhall, priced between £7.50 and £15, on 023-9282 4355. Tickets can also be bought online at: www.rscmportsmouth.com

After the concert, the professional musicians will head off to churches including St Peter’s Church, Hayling Island; Eastney Evangelical Church, Portsmouth; Cosham Baptist Church, Portsmouth; and Christ Church, Portsdown, to help lead worship the following morning.