REHEARSALS begin this week for Kidderminster Choral Society's new season.

And new members have been told they are welcome to join the society at the start of a year which will see them perform concerts including "great works of the classical choral repertoire".

Overseas adventures also await as the choir will travel to Kidderminster's twin town Husum next summer to help celebrate the 400th anniversary of the German town's charter.

They will team up with their partner choir, the Theodor Storms Chor, for a series of concerts.

Members of Kidderminster Male Choir and their female equivalent The Valentines also plan to visit in 2003.

The first event of the choral society's new season is scheduled for November 6 at Kidderminster Town Hall.

Members will be joined by well-known soloists and the Elgar Sinfonia to present works by Rossini and Verdi.

The following month will see the annual Christmas music fest featuring the Holbourne Brass, organist Marcus Huxley and the society's two youth choirs, Wyre Forest Young Voices - who are also planning a concert tour of Cyprus next February - and Primary Chords.

The event takes place on Saturday, December 21, also at the town hall - and "fun, frolics and a feast of fine music" have been promised.

On Saturday, March 29, 2003 the town hall will once again be the venue for a performance of Bach's Magnificat and Haydn's Harmoniemesse.

The man with the baton at all of these events will be musical director Geoffrey Weaver, who has conducted the society since 1987.

In addition to the main choir, which has about 130 singers, and the youth groups, there is also an a cappella Kidderm-inster Choral Society Summer Singers group, who will perform at venues next summer.

In the meantime the society will be represented at this month's annual conference of Making Music, the national association of music societies.

Membership secretary Martin Lewis can be contacted on 01562 822771, while Bob Powell, who has ticket details, is on 01562 60112.