Members of Heartbeat Chorus are thrilled to have won the opportunity to sing at Bolesworth Castle

A Marple-based choir has won the inaugural Great British Prom Choir Competition and the opportunity to join a star-studded line-up at Bolesworth Castle and sing ‘Jerusalem’ for thousands of concert-goers.

Nancy Kelsall, the Musical Director of Heartbeat Chorus, said she and the rest of the group are very excited about the concert on September 2nd.

‘We are truly thrilled to have won the opportunity to sing at the Great British Prom at Bolesworth. We are very excited to be performing alongside the National Symphony Orchestra, Russell Watson, Only Men Aloud and Annette Wardell. Last year we represented the UK in a capella world championships in Las Vegas and it is wonderful to be participating in this occasion to celebrate the best of British music.’

Heartbeat Chorus has 70 members and is based in Marple, Stockport. Its members, whose ages range from 20 to 70, are amateurs and there is no requirement to read music or to have sung previously. They aim to sing at a high level but also find that working together, making friends and singing in harmony is life enhancing and creates confidence, life skills, friendship and fun.

The Great British Prom sees the National Symphony Orchestra perform a feast of rousing anthems from all corners of the United Kingdom. Led by the world-famous conductor Anthony Inglis, who has performed more times at The Albert Hall than any other artist, the line-up includes the UK’s best selling classical artist Russell Watson, renowned soprano Annette Wardell, Classical Brit Award-winning vocal group Only Men Aloud and The Manchester Scots Guards Association. The programme for the concert at Bolesworth, in Tattenhall near Chester, will recreate the buzz of the Last Night of the Proms and culminate in a spectacular firework display, choreographed to the music in the outdoor setting of Bolesworth Castle.

Entrants to the choir competition were asked to post a one minute clip of them performing a song of their choice on The Great British Prom’s website. Shortlisted choirs were then posted on Facebook, with the number of likes each choir received being taken into account during the judging process. In total, the shortlist was viewed by over 100,000 Facebook users, with over 4,000 votes.

Anthony Inglis, who judged the competition, said: ‘All the choirs that entered were fantastic and it was a really difficult decision to choose the ultimate winner. In the end I selected Heartbeat Chorus for their overall performance, which I felt would best suit the occasion. I particularly noted their fantastic sound and extremely visual performance.’

In addition to singing ‘Jerusalem’ during the main part of the performance, Heartbeat Chorus will have the opportunity to perform at the start of the concert before the main programme begins. Because the judging process was so close, Corabella, another shortlisted choir, has been invited to perform during the interval. Corabella is a new female vocal group formed from a youth choir in Lancashire.

For full details and tickets visit www.greatbritishprom.co.uk or call 01630 674342.