CHILDREN from Malvern's twin town of Marianske Lazne have sent a message of greeting to local residents ahead of their first concert on Saturday.

The Canzona Quartet and Recorder Quartet of the Chopin Music School will be performing in and around Malvern as part of the town's civic week.

The first appearance of the children from the Czech Republic will be at the opening ceremony for civic week at Belle Vue Island at 10.30am.

This will be followed by the Malvern Civic Society gala concert tomorrow evening at 7.30pm at Christ Church in Avenue Road.

After performing in Kington, Herefordshire, on Sunday morning, the choir is returning to Malvern in time to sing as part of Bands in the Park in the afternoon, starting at 3.30pm.

On Tuesday, the choir will sing at St Michael's Church in Ledbury and on Wednesday at St Mary Magdalene Church in Twyning, near Upton.

In a message to the local people, the children wrote: "We look forward very much to travelling to England. It will be a big adventure for us. For most of us it will be our first visit to the U.K.

"Our choir sings songs in Czech, Latin, French and of course English; everything from hymns to the Sound of Music and Michael Jackson.

"Please come along and listen to us during our stay. Whether in Malvern, Kington, Ledbury or Twyning, you will be very welcome."

Also singing this weekend as part of Civic Week is Malvern's own Severn Voices chamber choir, who performing at St Peter’s Church, Cowleigh BankSunday.

Music director William Coleman said: “This concert features a whole range of styles from different countries including Hungary, Slovakia and the US. It’s a road trip in music, and then back home with some favourites arranged by Vaughan Williams and Holst. Ledbury composer John Frith features too with his bluesy arrangement of The House of the Rising Sun."

The concert is at 3pm.