A special memorial concert to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War is to be held in Dudley.

Dudley Borough Halls has joined forces with Gig Caritas for 'A 1918 Memorial Concert', which will be held at Dudley Town Hall on Saturday March 24 2018.

It will feature the seventy-strong Restoration Chorus and fifty players from Stourbridge Chamber Orchestra as well as readings from Third From The Right Productions.

It will also feature guest soprano soloist Louise Maguire, who will be coming back specially to her home region from Reims in France where she now lives and performs. 

Musical director for the evening will be Stourbridge-based Keith Horsfall, with the evening in aid of the Mayor of Dudley’s three chosen charities – Dudley Mind, Dudley Alzheimer’s Society and the YMCA Black Country Group.

The main work in the concert will be Karl Jenkins' hugely popular The Armed Man - A Mass for Peace supported by works by Faure, Tippett, Holst and Haydn. Alex Jackson, of Dudley Borough Halls, said: 

“We're very pleased to be working with the award-winning Gig Caritas to present this timely and hugely important 1918 Memorial Concert.

“2018 also marks 90 years since Dudley Town Hall was opened, so this concert allows us the chance to showcase the venue's tremendous acoustics to full effect.”

Councillor Dave Tyler, Mayor of Dudley, added:

"I'm really looking forward to attending this event. It's so important for us to remember those who gave their lives on the fields of battle and this promises to be a poignant and memorable evening."

Keith Horsfall, musical director for Gig Caritas, said:

“Karl Jenkins' magnificent work 'The Armed Man' is a wonderfully approachable but intensely moving musical plea for the cause of peace. Its large forces and wide range of musical styles combine to create an unforgettable experience that is not to be missed.

“An evening that, amongst other pieces, brings together the beautiful Pie Jesu from Faure's Requiem and Mars from Holst's Planet's Suite plus readings from Third From The Right Productions.

“This provides an opportunity to have an immensely enjoyable evening whilst at the same time remembering those who gave their lives throughout the last century so that we can enjoy the freedoms that we have today.”

Tickets cost £12 plus booking fees and are available by calling 01384 812812 or online at boroughhalls.co.uk.