Come and Sing - The Armed Man

Come and Sing - The Armed Man is at West Park Centre on Saturday 7 November, a full day of communal singing that brings back a format that went down well last year. The whole thing is built around The Armed Man, with Nidderdale's Margaret Mitchell leading a massed choir throughout the day, accompanied by a carefully curated group of musicians. It's a proper day of it: you spend the morning and afternoon rehearsing the piece together in a large choir, and then there's a concert at the end of the afternoon for friends and family to come along and hear what you've been working on.

If you've never done a day like this before, the idea is pretty straightforward. You don't need to have the piece under your belt beforehand; you arrive, join in, and spend the day learning and polishing it as part of the group. The rehearsal runs from 10:30, and the performance follows around 5:00, so it's a long stretch of singing. It's a communal thing, and the concert at the end is the reward for the day's work.

Because it's a full day, there are a few practical bits to keep in mind. Space is limited, so if you're coming just to watch the performance, you'll need to book your seat in advance. Singers are encouraged to bring a packed lunch to keep them going through the afternoon, and music scores are available to hire beforehand if you want to get a head start on the notes. The venue is the West Park Centre, at the United Reformed Church on Victoria Avenue, Harrogate, HG1 1BL.

It runs from 10:00 to 6:00 on the day, with rehearsals starting at 10:30 and the concert around 5:00. It's £20 per singer for the whole day, and £15 for a ticket to the performance if you're just coming to listen.