A chamber choir which has played a major role in British musical life for nearly 80 years is coming to Lancaster next week.

The BBC Singers will be perf-orming A Rose without Thorns' in Lancaster University's Great Hall.

The programme features music in praise of the Virgin Mary by two great Elizabethan figures -Thomas Tallis and William Byrd.

There will also be pieces by present-day composers James MacMillan, Edward Cowie - the BBC Singers' associate composer - and Michael Tippett.

Renowned for their commitment to contemporary music, the BBC Singers(pictured) have commis-sioned and recorded works by many of the most important composers of our time.

But with a repertoire wider than that of any similar ensemble, they also perform and record music from the 15th century to the present day.

A Rose Without Thorns, directed by Stephen Layton, is on Thursday, February 19 at 7.30pm. For tickets call the box office on 0800-028-3042.