HUNDREDS of singers will join together for the world premier of a new musical work.

Professor June Boyce-Tillman, from the University of Winchester, has created the piece based on the book Stories of the Great Turning and it will be launched on March 27 at 7.30pm at Winchester Cathedral.

The sound of 160 school children and 140 community choir members will unite for The Great Turning, including Hampshire County Council’s staff choir – The Castle Singers, and the King Alfred Singers from Foundation Music at the University of Winchester, who will form a quintet of soloists for various sections of the work.

Prof Boyce-Tillman said: “I was asked to write a piece for a variety of community groups and orchestra for Winchester Cathedral’s year-long programme on The Futures of Capitalism. I chose to write it around this book to which I contributed a chapter on interfaith dialogue.

“I took the stories from the book and divided them into the sections suggested by Joanna Macy: Act Your Age, Gratitude, Encountering the Darkness, Dare to Dream, and Join Hands Across the World.”

Staff from Hampshire Music Service have been visiting eight local schools and teaching them the musical material.

The first half of the concert will see the community choirs share their own music, including Eastleigh Fusion Choir singing Something Inside So Strong by Labi Siffre.

Tickets cost £7 for adults, £5 for students/concessions, and are available from the Cathedral Box Office on 01962 857275 or online at tickets.winchester-cathedral.org.uk.