Upbeat: Sing it and see

FOR choirs that want to lift their sights beyond the annual round of Messiah and St Matthew, things are not always so easy. They can browse through the catalogues, but that can be a lucky dip. One answer, at least for members, is to use the accumulated wisdom of the National Federation of Music Societies, but a new approach is to emerge this autumn in the form of a Choral Repertoire Roadshow.

Several well-known conductors and choral experts, including Ronald Corp, Simon Halsey and Barry Rose, will be turning up in town to run free, all-day sing-through and advice sessions. Four publishers are backing the show, under the banner of the Association of British Choral Directors, and it will carry a large exhibition of scores with sales and order points. First destinations are Regents College, London (26 September), the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester (10 October), and the University of Warwick Arts Centre (24 October). All conductors and choir members are welcome: details from 0732 452302.