Lt-Governor Sir Fabian Malbon and Bailiff Geoffrey Rowland, middle of second row, joined choir representatives and conductor Brian May to announce next year’s Liberation Day mass singing event. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0766995)

MORE than 1,000 singers will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Liberation next year with a special public performance.

A programme of classical and popular songs, together with the island’s unofficial national anthem, Sarnia Cherie, will be sung by groups such as the Island Churches’ Festival Chorus, the Guernsey Glee Singers and Welsh Boys Aloud.

Over the next 12 months, members of numerous singing groups and choirs will be rehearsing selected songs before performing together on 9 May 2010.

A new work, especially written for the occasion by local composer Chris Claxton, will also be performed.

Lt-Governor Sir Fabian Malbon and Bailiff Geoffrey Rowland, who are representatives of the island’s leading choral and singing groups, have been developing the idea since last August.

‘I’ve been to some events where there was a whole range of people singing and it was amazing. We have so much talent in Guernsey, I thought it would great if we could get thousands of people singing on Liberation Day,’ said Sir Fabian.

‘We got a group of interested people together and they thought it was a really good idea.

‘It will be complicated to get everyone together and find somewhere for them to perform, but the event will be great. We’ll have some good songs so everyone can sing along,’ he said.