AFTER its sell-out premiere in the community, the opera Alban is heading to London for its second appearance.

And if all goes well the opera, first performed in St Albans Abbey in May last year, should be performed in the USA next year.

The opera is to be staged at St Alban the Martyr in Holborn for five performances from October 20 to 23

It was a collaboration between young composer Tom Wiggall and poet John Mole and requires a chorus of adults and children.

The children will be from a primary school close to the Holborn church and many of those in the adult chorus will be people who took part in the original production.

But musical director David Ireson is looking for additional singers to join the chorus for the event. Almost all the principal performers from the will be taking part in the London production.

He said: “We dearly wanted to stage the show again because it is such a good piece and it should not be left on a shelf.”

For people from St Albans who either missed the original production or want to see Alban again, there will be a coach from the city on Saturday, October 23.

Then in May next year the plan is to take the opera to the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, South Carolina.

David explained that the production team had been invited to attend after a local resident, who originally came from Charleston, made the original approach.

The plan is to take a team including the principal singers to Charleston where they will be working in conjunction with one of the city’s universities.

David said: “The head of music at one of the universities is going to act as chorus master in recruiting in churches for us.”

Anyone interested in taking part in the London production or booking a seat on the coach can get more information from the opera’s website at www.albanopera.org.uk