IN something of a coup for a small village, members of the internationally famous Glyndebourne Chorus will be singing at St Andrew's Church in Bere Ferrers in aid of the RNLI on Thursday, December 4 at 7.30pm.

The Glyndebourne Company will be in Plymouth for a few days, singing at the Theatre Royal — but members of the chorus are taking time out to perform a concert entitled 'Songs of the Sea' as part of the Bere Ferrers parish 750th anniversary celebrations and in aid of the lifeboat charity, for which they would like to raise £1,000.

The performances of the Glyndebourne Chorus, whose quality and commitment makes it one of the pre-eminent choruses in international opera, have given it the reputation as a cradle of tomorrow's stars.

It is recruited annually and comprises a large number of talented and aspiring soloists, mainly drawn from the music colleges, and a core of highly motivated professional choristers.

For many, the Glyndebourne Chorus provides the much needed transition from opera course at a conservatory to the professional world, with the opportunity to understudy roles in the festival and on tour, and in some cases leading to engagement in a principal role on tour and later in the festival.

The list of Glyndebourne Chorus 'alumni' who have forged careers on the operatic stage is long and distinguished and includes Dame Janet Baker.

This concert, by ten members of the chorus, will include Stanford's 'Drake's Drum', Elgar's 'Where Corals Lie', Haydn's 'The Mermaid's Song' and 'Sailor's Song', Ireland's 'Sea Fever', Borodin's 'The Sea' and 'The Sea Princess', Dibdin's 'Tom Bowling' and Butterworth's 'A Brisk Young Sailor Courted Me', with other works including some by Brahms, Rossinni, Scott, Gibbs, Walton, Chabrier, Schubert, Wolf, Hahn, Sibelius, Debussy, Faure, Loewe, Berlioz and Grainger.

Tickets, price £7, are available from Margaret Willmott's Hairdressing in Bere Ferrers and Bere Alston Pharmacy. They can be reserved on 01822 840380 or 840609. Light refreshments will be available in the interval and RNLI Christmas cards and gifts will be on sale.