ONE lucky e-bay bidder can make a dream come true and take the baton to conduct the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah in Worcester Cathedral during the Three Choirs Festival on August 13.

The winning bidder will conduct the piece as part of the Bring and Sing Messiah, the penultimate event in the festival. The performance, with full chorus, features international soloists Patricia Rozario (soprano), Christopher Ainslie (counter-tenor), Allan Clayton (tenor), Daniel Jordan (bass-baritone) and the English Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir David Willcocks, one of the world's leading choral conductors.

The e-bay auction has already gone live and will close on Saturday, July 30. Log on to www.ebay.co.uk to put in a bid.

The Three Choirs Festival launches on August 6, with event number one scheduled as an 11.20am festival service at the cathedral.

The Fine Arts Brass Ensemble will be joined by the Festival Chorus and Worcester Cathedral Choir for the event, which will include performances of Jackson's Benedicite in G and Gabrieli's Jubilate Deo.

The major concert of the day will see the cathedral packed again at 7.45pm when the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Festival Chorus perform pieces by Bernstein, Finzi and Mendelssohn and then there will be a 10pm procession of boats and firework display to continue the opening celebrations.

Then it's on with nine days of musical events, including opera and jazz as well as classical treats of all kinds, combining top performers, favourite classics and world premieres.

It all draws to a close on Sunday, August 14, back at the cathedral with a special surprise performance yet to be announced.

Festival brochures are available around Worcester and at tourist centres or contact the box office for more details or to book tickets on 01905 610538. Also log on to www.3choirs.org for all the details.