Guildford Choral Concert, Mass in Time of War, Saturday, March 14

Published on: 4 Mar, 2026
Updated on: 5 Mar, 2026

Facing darkness, finding light: a concert of passion, peace, and hope, is the theme of Guildford Choral’s concert on Saturday, March 14, starting at 7.30pm.

Taking place at Holy Trinity Church, High Street, Guildford, experience an evening of breathtaking choral and orchestral splendour.

The concert features outstanding soloists Aneska Diament (soprano), Angelina Dorlin-Barlow (contralto), Jacob Cole (tenor) and Oliver Barker (bass).

At the centre of the programme is Haydn’s dramatic Mass in Time of War, (‘Paukenmesse’) alongside I Sing and Ever Shall, a vibrant contemporary work by award-winning British composer Janet Wheeler.

Mozart’s celebrated Symphony No. 40 in G minor opens the evening.

Guildford Choral says the music “spans the centuries in a journey through resilience, hope, and the human response to conflict”.

Guildford Choral’s concert is on Saturday, March 14, at Holy Trinity Church.

Under the direction of internationally renowned musical director Jonathan Willcocks, the concert features the acclaimed professional chamber orchestra Southern Pro Musica.

Haydn’s Mass, composed in 1796 amid the threat of Napoleon’s advance, reflects wartime anxieties, faith, strength and affirmation when faced with conflict.

Janet Wheeler’s exhilarating score celebrates the universal impulse to sing, weaving together texts by Emily Dickinson, Rabindranath Tagore, Sara Teasdale, Abraham Cowley and Robert Herrick, moving from lyrical stillness to dazzling rhythmic vitality.

Mozart’s dramatic masterpiece Symphony No. 40 pulses with restless emotion and is one of Mozart’s most celebrated and widely performed works.

The evening’s soloists bring an impressive array of awards, prizes and competitive scholarships, from major competition successes to sought after early career appointments.

Tickets £10, £20 and £26 are on sale via Guildford Choral’s website or at www.ticketsource.co.uk/guildfordchoral