There's plenty to do in and around Gloucestershire this weekend for the whole family to enjoy.

1# Rare concert shows spiritual side of Duke Ellington 

A concert displaying the spiritual side of jazz legend Duke Ellington is being performed at Christ Church, Cheltenham, on Saturday, November 23.

Not many people know that the American composer, pianist, and long-time leader of a jazz orchestra was a man with a living Christian faith.

Duke Ellington's Sacred Concert is a rarely performed work featuring big band, mixed choir, soprano soloist and tap dancing!

The concert will feature JP AllStars Big Band and Singers, soprano Vickie Long and musical director Paul McLaughlin.

The concert features gentle contemplation with driving big band swing; soaring soprano with rich choral textures; tight ensemble playing with scintillating solos.

Ellington, who died in 1974, was a musical force of great power and tender devotion. Although very well known for his popular song and big band style pieces, Ellington, unusually for jazz musicians of his generation, was exposed to opera and other classical music at home.

His three Sacred Concerts of the 1960s and early 70s show both his great skill in creating longer suites of music, as well as illustrating his lifelong spirituality.

He once described his Sacred Concerts as "the most important thing I have ever done".

This is a night for jazz enthusiasts, choral fans and lovers of great music. Bringing The Cotton Club to church!

Tickets are £12 (£6 under 18s and students) on the door or in advance via www.buytickets.at/cheltenhamchristianarts.

2# 'A Christmas Carol' to be brought to life in Gloucester Cathedral  

This week, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol will be brought to life at Gloucester Cathedral in a traditional production, complete with beautiful period costumes, song, dance, and a generous helping of Christmas spirit.

Chapterhouse Theatre Company is continuing its festive tradition of touring A Christmas Carol to theatres, castles, and cathedrals across the UK

Especially adapted for the stage by award-winning writer Laura Turner, this show is the perfect festive treat for all ages during the dark evenings.

With the first performance tomorrow evening (Tuesday), make sure you have your seat booked in the magnificent Cathedral Nave ready to be transported back to 'that' Christmas Eve, when the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge was whisked away on a journey through the past and into the future, accompanied by three ghosts determined to show him the true meaning of Christmas. But will Scrooge's cold heart thaw in time for Christmas Day...?

Thanks to this story, the phrase we all know and use now - 'Merry Christmas' - was popularised in Victorian society. Other popular festive expressions, such as 'Bah! Humbug!' and referring to somebody as a 'Scrooge', also come from A Christmas Carol.

Chapterhouse Theatre Company first toured A Christmas Carol in 2010. In 2016, the show was revived and reimagined, and performed to sell-out audiences across the UK, including three exclusive performances at The British Museum.

In 2019, A Christmas Carol is returning once more to provide the perfect antidote to the chaos of the Christmas rush.

Bring the whole family to witness this Christmas classic unfold before your eyes. Ticket prices are adult £16, child £11, family (2 adults & 2 children) £46.00 available from the 3 Choirs website.

3# 'World's most successful rock & roll musical' returns

The smash hit rock & roll musical Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story is back at the Everyman Theatre next week celebrating its 30th anniversary.

The production will bring with it a multi-talented group of actor-instrumentalists, featuring Chris Weeks as Buddy.

Together they will present a sensational two hours of live musical theatre featuring over 20 of iconic rocker Buddy Holly's greatest hits, including such timeless classics That'll Be The Day, Peggy Sue, Oh Boy and Rave On.

Through its phenomenal run of productions and performances across five continents, Buddy has become known as 'The World's Most Successful Rock & Roll Musical'.

It tells the enduring tale of the musical icon's meteoric rise to fame through to his final legendary performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, before his tragic and untimely death at the age of 22.

In 18 short months the bespectacled young man from Lubbock, Texas, revolutionized the face of popular music, influencing everyone from Bob Dylan and The Beatles to Elton John and Bruce Springsteen.

Audiences will be taken on a journey through Buddy's short yet spectacular career, and with the Big Bopper's Chantilly Lace and Ritchie Valens' La Bamba completing a stellar musical line-up.

4# First World War art experience comes to Gloucester 

The Danger Tree, a unique augmented reality art experience by oil painter Scarlett Raven and digital artist Marc Marot, is coming to Gloucester for a month-long exhibition.

Exploring the true stories of World War One through paint, animation, music and poetry, the exhibition is brought to life with performances by actors including Sean Bean, Charlotte Riley, Vicky McClure, Christopher Eccleston, Stephen Graham, and Sophie Okonedo.

The exhibition has been organised by Marketing Gloucester. It starts on Monday 11 November, Armistice Day, until Wednesday 11 December at the UK:DRIC exhibition space on the first floor of the Eastgate Shopping Centre.

The collection consists of 10 paintings, all of which integrate digital imagery, music and augmented reality into the work.

Many of the paintings in the collection were inspired by poems from the First World War's most highly regarded poets, including John McCrae, Siegfried Sassoon, Wilfred Owen and Rupert Brooke, as well as contemporary poet John Agard and Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy.

Through the use of the app Artivive, visitors can use their own personal devices to interact with the soldiers' experiences. Whilst the paintings appear conventional at first glance, the augmented reality technology allows the viewer to unlock hidden depths by digitally stripping away the countless layers of paint to unlock the creative journey of each painting and see the Great War reimagined.

Marc and Scarlett use traditional stop motion animation to capture every daub of paint as it is added to the canvas. This is then integrated with the narration, archive film, photography and music, resulting in an emotional impact that has brought audiences to tears.

5# World premiere for Holst choral work in his home town 

A world premiere of a choral work by Cheltenham-born composer Gustav Holst is being performed by Charlton Kings Choral Society at Pittville Pump Room on Saturday, November 23.

It will be the first time Clear and Cool has ever been performed with a full orchestra/

The evening will also include a performance of Mozart's Requiem, one of the great choral masterpieces. Orchestral music by Holst (A Fugal Overture; Two Songs without Words; and St Paul's Suite) complete the programme.

The choir will be joined by four soloists, Hannah Davey (soprano), Serena Kay (mezzo soprano), Edward Rimmer (tenor) and Nicholas Perfect (bass), along with the Regency Sinfonia.

Tickets are £15 (under 25s in full-time education £10) and available from the Charlton Kings Choral Society website or the Cheltenham Town Hall box office and website.