A CHOIR is presenting a double bill of music for Christmas.

West Dorset choir Cantamus will give two concerts in the area this December - one in Loders near Bridport and another in Hawkchurch. They will also perform at a Christmas carols concert in Dorchester.

The programme, Music for Christmastide, comprises more than 20 songs with a Christmas or advent theme, so there’s sure to be something for everyone.

There are works from the last six centuries, from an arrangement of the 15th-century Boar’s head carol and the 16th-century Spanish Riu, riu, chiu, to the upbeat, modern De virgine Maria, written in 2014 by Carl Rütti. The programme also includes a selection of pieces by the English composer Peter Warlock – The First Mercy, Balulalow and Bethlehem Down – and two movements from Benjamin Britten’s Ceremony of Carols.

Cantamus was formed in 2012 and gives three series of concerts each year across the area. The choir’s musical director, Malcolm Knowles, is also an established singer and arranger, and his treatment of Baby Born Today is included in the second half of the programme.

The concerts are as follows: The Church of St Mary Magdalene, Loders, Saturday December 2 at 7pm (tickets £10 on the door); and St John the Baptist Church, Hawkchurch, Tuesday December 19 at 7.30pm (tickets £8 from Hawkchurch Community Shop or on the door). The Hawkchurch concert takes place during the church’s Christmas tree festival so is particularly popular. Last year the church was full to capacity, so music lovers are advised to buy tickets in advance.

Cantamus will also be performing at a charity carol concert at St Mary’s Church, Dorchester, on Wednesday December 6 at 6.30pm. The event is in aid of Footprints (footprintsproject.co.uk), which helps ex-offenders to re-integrate into the community

For more details of the choir’s activities please visit cantamus-dorset.org