DUNDEE CHORAL Union celebrates its 150th anniversary tomorrow evening with a performance of Verdi’s Requiem at the Caird Hall.

Starting at 7.30, the artists performing under the baton of new musical director Norman Beedie are Camilla Roberts (soprano), Anna Burford (mezzo), Gwyn Jones (tenor), Robert Winslade Anderson (bass) and the Orchestra of Scottish Opera.

Mr Beedie took over the baton from Edward Caswell, who resigned suddenly last month.

Claire Milne of the choral said last night preparations for the performance were going well.

“We’ll be having a full rehearsal on Saturday and Sunday and Norman has done Verdi before.

“Although he took over at short notice it hasn’t caused any problems. He knows the work well and we know the work well as well.

“We had a very good rehearsal last Monday. We have over a hundred members in the chorus and it sounded really strong.

“We’ve done Verdi on several significant occasions, including the millennium concert in 1999, and we’re very much looking forward to it.

“It’s a wonderful operatic piece with some wonderful music. It’s certainly one of the choral’s favourites.”

Dundee Amateur Choral Union (the “amateur” part was retained until 1959) was founded in a house in South Tay Street on January 28, 1858, when 18 women and nine men formed themselves into a choir “to practise and execute chiefly sacred music.”

To this day, a major proportion of the choral’s activity has remained directed to the performance of large-scale, sacred or religious works, though admittedly this has been dictated to some extent by the availability of suitable repertoire.

The spring concert is one of two major productions the Choral Union performs at the Caird Hall in Dundee each year.