ONE of the great choirs of the world is coming to Ludlow.

Members of one of the world’s greatest male choirs have been spared from fighting in a vicious Eastern European war due to their importance to their country as cultural ambassadors both at home and internationally.

The Boyan Ensemble, which is the travelling section of the Revutsky Academic Male Capella based in Kiev, Ukraine, will be performing at St. Laurence’s Church.

Made up of 25 professional singers, the choir are scheduled to perform 23 concerts in September and October, with a programme of sacred chants that reflect the splendour of the Eastern Orthodox tradition and rich Ukrainian folk songs of joy, humour and heroism, some of which are accompanied on instruments unique to their country.

The tour is taking place against a background of deepening financial and social crisis in their homeland as civil war continues in the Donbass region where the infrastructure has been virtually destroyed, the casualty rate is soaring and nearly two million people have been displaced.

Vigilante military recruiters regularly raid shopping centres, public transport, parks and other public open spaces to press-gang young men into the armed services, but members of the choir have not yet been called upon for military service due to their cultural importance.

“There has been serious ongoing concern that our singers would be conscripted into the army, but we decided to throw caution to the winds and go ahead with this tour because to cancel it would have caused bitter disappointment on all sides,” said Margarete Rolle, the organiser of the Boyan’s British tours for the past 23 years.

“This tour demonstrates that there’s more to Ukraine than bombs and bullets, a worn-out Soviet infrastructure and a bedevilled political system. Whatever its problems, Ukraine has a rich, traditional culture which never fails to impress and members of Boyan are exemplary ambassadors of this powerful musical heritage.

“There are devastating circumstances facing the nation, the economy is perilously close to default and an economist recently quipped that compared to Ukraine, Greece looks like Switzerland. The dire financial situation and austerity measures make life very difficult for the singers who struggle to provide for their families. They are reliant on their government’s funding but this has become tenuous under the circumstances.

“They therefore hope that their British tour will be a big success because it gives them a rare opportunity to earn some real money at a time when their currency has plummeted to disastrous levels, and I beg people to support them.”

Margarete added that there are pockets of the choir’s 'groupies' throughout the UK, and many consider the Boyan concerts to be the highlight of their musical calendars. Some have attended concerts in each of the 23 years the choir has been coming to the UK and firm friendships have been forged.

The performance in Ludlow is on Wednesday, October 14 at 7.30pm.Tickets priced £18 and £16 for the concert at Ludlow are available through Ludlow Assembly Rooms on 01584 878141 or www.ludlowassemblyrooms.co.uk