John Rutter, one of Britain's best known composers and conductors of choral music, will be directing Come and Sing, a day of music-making for singers of all ages and voices, as part of Anglia Ruskin University's 150^th anniversary celebrations.

The event will take place in Chelmsford Cathedral on 22 November 2008 and the money raised on the day will go towards Anglia Ruskin University's Music Therapy Appeal.

This will be John Rutter's second Come and Sing day in Chelmsford. Works will include John Rutter's Mass of the Children and Feel the Spirit among other pieces planned for the day. Peter Nardone, the Cathedral's Director of music, will provide the accompaniment.

John has guest conducted and lectured at many concert halls, universities, churches, music festivals and conferences in music, Scandinavia, North America and Australasia, and regularly holds choral workshops throughout Britain.

John Rutter's works, such as Requiem (1985), Magnificat (1990), and Psalmfest (1993), have been performed many times in Britain and in many countries around the world. He co-edited, with David Wilcocks, the four volume Carols for Choirs Series, and more recently has edited the first two volumes in the New Oxford Choral Classic Series, Opera Choruses (1995) and European, Sacred Music (1996).

Speaking about this latest Music Therapy event, Sue Jacobs from Anglia Ruskin University said: ‘This is such a unique opportunity for people from the Chelmsford area who enjoy singing and want to share their enthusiasm with others who feel the same. It will be a day of pure indulgence and enjoyment in the wonderful, acoustically balanced venue of Chelmsford Cathedral. And everyone involved will help us to raise more money for Music Therapy so that we can in turn help others.'

‘We are looking for a wide variety of voices, including soprano, alto, tenor and bass - and anyone who just loves to sing. '

An established Allied Health Profession, Music Therapy is a form of treatment in which live, mainly improvised music is used to help people work towards achieving therapeutic aims, and can help people suffering from a range of conditions including autism, learning difficulties, dementia, physical disability, schizophrenia and depression.

The Music Therapy Clinic was established on the Cambridge Campus in 2005 as a result of fundraising for the Appeal and is used both to treat those in need, and to train the growing number of Music Therapy students. The course is delivered at Anglia Ruskin University within the Department of Music & Performing Arts.

The admission fee for the event is £12, which includes the hire of music for the day. Tickets are available in advance from the Alumni Office on 0845 196 4714 or alumni@anglia.ac.uk. For further information on studying Music Therapy at Anglia Ruskin University, contact Helen Odell-Miller on 0845 196 2045.