THE 140-strong Thurrock Community Choir are performing a unique show at Civic Hall.

Guided by director Jeremy Haneman, this is the first semi-staged show the choir - formed of Thurrock residents - will have performed since he Purfleet opera, Ludd and Isis which was put on at the Royal Opera House workshop in 2010.

The show at the Civic Hall on Blackshots Lane on Saturday, November 30, will be an “opera mash-up” named Ebb and Flow, a unique staging of three operas: Dido and Aeneas by Purcell, Mozart’s Idomeneo and Richard Taylor’s The Purfleet Opera: Ludd and Isis.

Ebb and Flow, which will feature solo performances from some of the choir members, depicts the comings and goings of people at a cruise terminal, mixing the mythological elements present in all three of the operas with ordinary life. It features beautiful opera choruses and solos such as ‘When I am laid in earth’ from Dido and Aeneas and the majestic ‘O voto tremendo’ from Mozart’s Idomeneo.

Kasper Holten, Director of Opera for the Royal Opera House said: "We are all extremely proud of Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus. It is wonderful to see how seriously they take the work and how quickly they have built both their level of ambition and their quality.

“We are very proud to be working with the people of Thurrock and to feel the impact we have been able to make there. But equally, the Thurrock Community Chorus has made an impact on us: it continually reminds us of the power of music and seeing the passion for singing in the Chorus is an inspiration in our work.

“This concert takes the work of Royal Opera House Thurrock Community Chorus to a new level, and we are all excited to follow the work and see the result.”

Tickets for Ebb and Flow: an opera mash-up are £10 and concessions £8. Tickets can be booked online at www.roh.org.uk or by calling the Royal Opera House Box Office on 020 7304 4000.