GRASSINGTON Festival offers two unique opportunities for budding singers.

This year, it is launching its first-ever festival choir, offering beginners as well as experienced singers the opportunity to take part in weekly singing rehearsals.

The choir will be led by Charlie Gower-Smith, accompanied by Cath Stevenson on the piano.

The songs will feature upbeat fun melodies, focusing on the theme of travel in line with this year's festival theme, Convergence – All Roads Lead to Grassington.

All those interested should go along to Grassington’s Congregational Church, Garrs Lane, tonight from 7.30pm to 9pm and every subsequent Thursday until June 16.

Festival director Kate Beard said: “We are delighted that we can offer an opportunity for everybody to become part of our festival choir. Charlie Gower-Smith and Cath Stevenson will inspire new singers and no doubt this will be an incredibly enjoyable experience for everyone who comes along.”

For more adventurous singers there is an opportunity to take part in a performance of Handel’s The Messiah.

It will be performed by a mix of amateur and professional voices, under the baton of musical director Ed Williams, at St Wilfrid’s Church, Burnsall on Sunday, June 19, at 7.30pm.

Taking part will be tenor Bonaventura Bottone, who has performed at many of the world's leading opera houses and is described by the New Grove Dictionary of Opera as “a superb actor with a strong, lyrical voice”.

Bass John Cunningham recently made his debut at Royal Opera House Covent Garden in Don Carlo and has subsequently appeared as a guest principal performing the roles of The Aged Gambler in Prokofiev’s The Gambler and a Cappadocian in Strauss’ Salome.

Other professional singers include soprano Jen Dakin, who has broadcast for the BBC and has worked with conductors including Otto Klemperer, Sir John Barbarolli and Carl Davis, and contralto Hannah Mason, who, this year, is singing with the English National Opera in its productions of The Magic Flute and Akhnaten.

Accompaniment will be provided by keyboard player Owain Pierce-Williams and trumpeter Lee Whitworth.

Preceding the performance, there will be a workshop from 1pm to 5pm, which is open to everyone to come and learn selected choruses of Messiah, to be performed that evening.

Full details are available at grassington-festival.org.uk, or telephone 01756 752691.