Hope Metropolitan Concerts | 24 October 2026

Hope Metropolitan Orchestra & Singers

Orchestra Conductor: Helen Thomas

Choir Director: Jess Atkinson

Handel - Zadok the Priest

Harriet Blaney-Green - Idyll

Jim Cooke - Missa Brevis

Handel - The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba

Handel - Water Music

This exciting concert is book-ended by two of Handel’s most popular works: Zadok the Priest, performed at every coronation since it was written for George II in 1727 and Water Music, written in 1717 in which the players were seated in barges on the River Thames. In contrast is the Missa Brevis for Choir and Orchestra, a most attractive setting by the well-known local composer, Jim Cooke, who studied at Liverpool Hope University. Another piece by a Hope musician is Idyll by Harriet Blaney-Green, a lyrical work for ten wind players. HMC gave this piece its first performance in Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.

The concert is conducted by Helen Thomas and is the first performance where the choir has been rehearsed by its new Director, Jess Atkinson.

Tickets: Hope Metropolitan Concerts