THE Ebor Singers celebrate summertime in Saturday's concert at St Olave's Church, Marygate, York.

The 7.30pm programme for A Summer Idyll features unaccompanied sacred and secular English pieces.

"It's been enjoyable making new additions to our repertoire, including Vaughan Williams' Mass in G minor and Benjamin Britten's Five Flower Songs," says musical director Paul Gameson.

"'There is no reason why an atheist could not write a good mass', insisted Vaughan Williams, and he proves it with this setting. Britten's collection of songs is rarely performed; it draws on the partsong tradition of Stanford, Elgar and Parry, albeit bringing the genre up to date with the composer's characteristic sinuous melodic and harmonic writing, and more than a passing nod to jazz."

Tippett's Five Spirituals are taken from his oratorio A Child Of Our Time, where they functioned much like chorales in Bach's Passions. "Accompanied by orchestra in the oratorio, Tippett effortlessly re-scored them for voices alone, balancing the musical gestures taken from the original instrumentation with the directness of expression of the spirituals," says Paul.

"No choir performing a concert with 'summer' in its name can pass off the opportunity to sing Stanford's beautiful partsong The Bluebird or throw in some Gershwin, and neither will we!"

As is the choir’s custom, Saturday's concert will be preceded by Compline at 7pm in the remains of St Mary's Abbey, or in St Olave's Church if the weather is inclement. "Audience members wishing to attend Compline should go to St Olave's Church first, to reserve your seat, and more importantly to check, in the instance of poor weather, where Compline is being held," advises Paul.

Tickets cost £12, concessions £10, students £5, at eborsingers.eventbrite.com or on the door by card or cash payment.