Gareth Malone's Messiah

275 years after a ground-breaking charity concert saw George Frideric Handel perform his Messiah for the benefit of London's foundlings, Gareth Malone is set to stage his own performance of the nation's favourite choral piece in the magnificent surroundings of Cardiff's Llandaff Cathedral as a fundraiser for BBC Children in Need.

The programmes will see Gareth trim hundreds of applicants down to just eight singers who have never sung in a classical choir before, and then train them to perform a work that has dominated the British choral tradition for hundreds of years. Gareth's eight singers will reveal even the most inexperienced musicians can tackle Messiah as they bring enthusiasm and hard work to this once-in-a-lifetime challenge.

Gareth's new recruits, might not have tried choral music before or even heard of Handel, but they will have just seven weeks from audition to performing Messiah alongside the acclaimed BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales. Also appearing will be a stellar professional cast of soprano Jessica Robinson, alto Rebecca Afonwy-Jones, baritone Roderick Williams OBE who sang at the King's Coronation, and tenor James Way.