POPULAR Cumbrian chamber choir The Wordsworth Singers and their inspirational musical director Mark Hindley return to Kendal this weekend, with a programme of music which pleads for peace in times of conflict.

Saturday's (February 9, 7.30pm) concert at St George’s Church concert takes its title Beware The Armed Man…from one of the pieces being performed, the Missa L’homme armé by 16th Century Spanish composer Cristobal de Morales. Alongside that work, the choir will sing a range of works, all composed as warnings against conflict. Un soir de neige by the French composer Francis Poulenc, was written in 1944 as a reflection on the horror of the Second World War. The Five Negro Spirituals from Michael Tippett’s A Child of Our Time were part of a work composed four years earlier, in response to the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi Germany. The spirituals, including the well-known Steal Away, are intensely rich and deeply emotional.

The Wordsworth Singers will be joined for this concert by Scottish harpist and composer Savourna Stevenson. The choir will be singing one of her works, Magnus about the peace loving 12th century ruler of Orkney. Savourna will perform two of her own compositions on the Clarsach, or small Scottish Harp.

The Wordsworth Singers draws experienced singers from all over Cumbria, and includes several members from the Kendal and South Lakeland areas. The choir has performed in Kendal on many occasions, the most recent in November 2016. The choir’s administrator, Helen Hutchinson, said they always enjoy singing for audiences in South Lakeland: "We’re very pleased to be returning to the wonderful acoustic of St George’s Church, who are very much part of the community, and have made us feel so welcome."

Mark Hindley has directed The Wordsworth Singers since 2009, and has established a reputation for adventurous programming and exciting, vibrant performances.

Tickets for the concert are available at www.wordsworthsingers.org.uk, choir members, or from Fantastic Kendal, Finkle Street.