MORE than 600 pupils will embark on an exciting musical journey through the decades when they unite to perform at the annual Children of Bury Sing concerts.

The popular event, featuring youngsters from 25 primary schools boroughwide, will be staged at the town's Castle Leisure Centre on Saturday April 25.

Half of the pupils will perform at the first concert at 1pm while the remainder will take to the stage for the second concert at 7.30pm.

Children of Bury Sing has been held in the town for many years, but the 2015 concerts will mark the fifth year that the event has been organised by a group of teachers and ex-teachers from Bury.

The principal event organisers are Gemma Price, director of Bury Music Service, Graham Howarth, conductor of the 1pm concert, Sharon Peters, conductor of the 7.30pm concert, Mike Pinder, narrator of both concerts, and Tim Power, arranger of all the music.

Mr Power, who will also be playing drums, said: "This is a fantastic event — it is going from strength to strength. A major focus for the new music curriculum is the development of singing.

"We are also using a live band and 45-piece string orchestra, drawn from the students of Bury Music Service. The children have been given backing tracks that have been prepared specifically to match what the live band will do on the day."

He continued: "The songs performed will span the decades from the 1960s up to modern times, with such favourites as a Beatles medley, Ralph McTell's Streets of London and an Abba medley, to the more recent Happy by Pharrell Williams.

"School choirs have been rehearsing during the spring term to make sure the concerts go with a swing. The choirs will have live backing from local musicians that form an eight piece band and also from Bury Senior Strings. The Strings are made up of pupils from Bury schools who rehearse and perform as part of the Bury Music Service provision."

Schools taking part in the concerts are:

1pm — St Peter's, Gorsefield, Lowercroft, All Saints, Sedgley Park, Park View, St Joseph's Ramsbottom, Hollins Grundy, St Mary's Prestwich, St Bernadette's, Holcombe Brook, Radcliffe Hall.

7.30pm —Greenmount, Heaton Park, Chapelfield, St Stephen's, St Paul's, Woodbank, Emmanuel Holcombe, Hazlehurst, Sunnybank, Mersey Drive, OId Hall, Tottington, Holy Trinity.

* Tickets are £5 (£4 concessions). Payment can be made on the door.