MEMBERS of a Bolton choir are preparing for their most ambitious concert to date but there is one minor problem — they do not have enough singers.

Bolton Choral Union (BCU) is gearing up to perform The Peacemakers, by Karl Jenkins, one of the world’s leading choral composers.

The epic piece, which had its world premiere in New York in January 2012, needs about 120 singers but BCU currently only has about 75.

The piece features quotes from some of history’s most iconic figures and symbols of tolerance, including Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and Anne Frank.

Stuart Barnes, from BCU, said: “Karl Jenkins is the most performed living British composer of such works by far and his last similar work was The Armed Man.

“BCU was one of the earliest amateur societies to perform The Armed Man and it was a huge success for us.

“The Peacemakers sets to music words from iconic, world-changing figures, together with poetry and quotations from The Bible and the Qur’an.”

The European premiere of the work was last May, at the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, and BCU will be one of the first societies to produce a performance based on it.

Mr Barnes added: “We need a choir of 120-plus to really make it work. We are a very friendly group and new members are always made to feel very welcome. Come and join us.”

The soprano soloist for the performance will be Eleanor Garside, from the Royal Northern College, and the musical accompaniment will be provided by the Northern Chamber Orchestra and the Blackburn and Darwen Brass Ensemble. The rest of the programme, conducted by Michael Greenhalgh, consists of popular and well-known works, by Vivaldi, Mozart, Pachelbel and Handel.

The concert will be at the Victoria Hall, Bolton, on Saturday, March 23.

BCU meets at 7.30pm every Friday night during the season, which runs from now until June at St Andrew and St George United Reformed Church Hall, St Georges Road.

Anyone interested in joining can go to a Friday rehearsal or visit boltonchoral.org.uk for more information.