KINGTON Choral Society will be crossing the border to St Andrew’s Church at Presteigne this Saturday evening, June 1, to present Monteverdi’s 'Vespers'.

They will be conducted by Robert Evans, with solo soprano Serena Jopson,

Serena, aged 24, is the Choral Society’s first bursary student who has the exciting news of being offered a place at the Royal Welsh School of Music and Drama.

Serena remembers starting singing lessons with Roger Langford and performed her first solo in November 2015, a duet in a Purcell motet lasting less than a minute, while her first 'big' solos came 18 months ago when she sang in Britten’s 'Ceremony of Carols' and Handel’s 'Messiah'.

“I have always enjoyed singing and was very lucky that my mum played the piano, so we sang our favourite songs together. Apart from school choirs I’d never sung choral music and certainly couldn’t sight read, but my childhood gave me a love for music and a sense of musicality – learning would come later,” she said.

The bursary of £500 set up specifically to support up-and-coming young singers has really helped her to develop as a musician not only going towards the costs of music study and expenses, but also providing many opportunities to develop musical skills in a safe environment.

Having obtained a commendable distinction at Grade 8 Singing, she will be off to Cardiff to study this autumn to do a BMus in Singing, a four year course covering a wide range of musical styles from oratorio and opera to German lieder and art song, plus the theoretical side of music.

She can be assured the choir will give her a supportive send off on Saturday and will look forward to her return in the future as a professional guest.

Carolyn Kennard for Kington Choral Society said: “We are tremendously proud of just how far she has come since joining our choir five years ago.”

Admission is £14 at the door, under 18s free, or online at www.kingtonchoral.org.uk

The society rehearse in Titley Village Hall, and perform the spring concert in Presteigne, which can more comfortably accommodate the growing choir and an orchestra. November concerts are still performed in Kington.