Watch out for a Hardyean flash mob coming to the town!

It’s certain to be a lively day of song when the Wessex Consort Choir spend the day in Dorchester on Saturday, April 29. The choral ensemble of 12 young professional singers will stage an Hardyean flash mob performance at 2pm at the Trumpet Major pub, close to Hardy’s home at Max Gate.

This will be followed by a matinee concert of musical settings of Hardy poems in St Michael’s Church at Stinsford, where the poet’s heart is buried, and an evening concert entitled Portraits of Dorset from 7.30pm in St Mary’s Church, Dorchester.

Graham Stansfield, composer and choir founder said: “Hardy’s poems are an absolute joy to set for this young choir because there is such a range for the singers to express – from the deeply sad and the troubled, often pessimistic philosophising, to the joyful, the loving, the playfully trivial, and even the hilarious – and variety and real passion is what they like.”

The choir will be seated amongst diners at the pub when they will burst into song.

Mr Stansfield said: “This is a Dorset choir singing songs about Dorset, to the people of Dorset within earshot of Thomas Hardy’s home – for free.

“What better way to liven up the county town on a Saturday afternoon?”