RAISING the roof at St Christopher’s Church, in Haslemere, last Saturday, were more than 80 members of different choirs singing as one.

Haslemere Musical Society’s annual invitation to ‘Come and Sing’ has gone from strength to strength and is now a by-word for choral exuberance.

More than 80 participants and 30 members of the HMS Symphony Orchestra augmented by other local players spent a joyous Saturday afternoon rehearsing Haydn’s famous oratorio, The Creation.

Under the baton of the society’s chorus master Tom Lydon, singers rehearsed choruses through the afternoon, with refreshments provided by HMS catering team, before a 6pm performance before an invited audience.

Audience member Dot Jackson said: “The sound of the choir and orchestra bursting out with the opening bars of The Heavens Are Telling made my hair stand on end.

“It was a remarkable performance after such a short afternoon of rehearsal,” Dot added.

• The society’s next choral and orchestral concert will be at Haslemere Hall, on Saturday, March 4, when the combined orchestra and choir will perform Bruckner’s Te Deum and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, The Choral Symphony.

Tickets are available from Haslemere Hall by calling (01428) 642161.