A NEW Wrexham-based community choir will help a top music festival celebrate its 50th anniversary and two other major milestones.

Organisers of the North Wales International Music Festival say the launch concert at St Asaph Cathedral on Saturday, June 4, will be a "big, brassy choral spectacular and it's going to be loud!"

The concert is a curtain raiser for the main festival’s Golden Jubilee event that’s taking place from September 17 to October 1.

Read more: New band and Choir for youngsters in Wrexham and Denbighshire

It’s all being made possible thanks to the support of the Arts Council of Wales and the headline sponsor, the Pendine Arts and Community Trust.

According to artistic director Ann Atkinson, the launch concert is being timed to coincide with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee while this year also marks 10 years since St Asaph was officially recognised as a city.

The festival was founded by Prof William Mathias, who was one of the first Welsh composers to win international acclaim.

He wrote music for a number of royal occasions, including the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977 and the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana Spencer in 1981.

Ann Atkinson, who is also a talented mezzo soprano, said: "St Asaph Cathedral is the perfect acoustic environment to showcase our highly talented line-up at the launch concert and the festival itself.

"The combination of the stone and the wood creates something really magical somehow.

The Leader:

"I have also performed in the concert hall at Sydney Opera House and, while it has a brilliant acoustic, I must say that St Asaph Cathedral is actually a much better venue acoustically."

The NEW Voices choir was launched by the NEW Sinfonia orchestra that was established by brothers Robert and Jonathan Guy, who come from Wrexham.

The aim of NEW Sinfonia, which is also the festival’s resident orchestra, is to provide a platform for talented young musicians.

Robert Guy said: “It'll have Zadok the Priest, music that is associated with the Coronation and Royal Weddings as well as music commissioned for the NEW Sinfonia by the festival during our residency plus some music by my brother, Jonathan.

"We're going to have a brass ensemble for a big, brassy choral spectacular. It's going to be loud!"

Robert added: "Both the festival and NEW Sinfonia greatly value their work within the community. NEW Voices reflect this, anyone can come along and sing, it is as inclusive and accessible as possible.