FOR their annual summer concert this year, the vocally talented ensemble that is the Colchester Operatic Society are playing two venues instead of one.

For the first time the group will be performing at the Mercury Theatre, the traditional home of their stage shows, in a one-off concert that will be raising money for the Colchester theatre's redevelopment project, Mercury Rising.

Entitled Seasons with Swing, the troupe, as the title of the concert suggests, will be performing a whole host of well-known swing style songs taking the audience on a journey through the seasons of the year.

Directed by Katie Cutmore and Amanda Powell, with Geoff Osbourn taking the Musical Directing duties, tickets for the Mercury concert, which takes place on Sunday, June 11, from 7.30pm, are £20, available from the website at www.mercurytheatre.co.uk or by calling 01206 573948.

As well as members from the main society this concert will also include a larger band and a special guest performance from the group's junior section, CO2.

Before that a smaller, scaled-down version of the same concert will take place at the Headgate Theatre, Chapel Street North, from June 7 to 9 also at 7.30pm each night.

Tickets are £12.50, available by calling 01206 366000 or on-line at www.headgatetheatre.co.uk