The one year anniversary of the September earthquake will be marked by a concert with a massed choir of more than 500 voices and thanks to Christchurch Arts Festival, Christchurch City Council and the REAL New Zealand Festival, the concert will be free.

The concert, Christchurch Sings, is part of the Christchurch Arts Festival and will be performed on Sunday 4 September at 7pm at CBS Canterbury Arena. Tickets will be required for entry and are available from 9am on Tuesday 23 August.

Christchurch Arts Festival director Philip Tremewan says he is delighted that the concert will now be free. “Christchurch is finding its voice again after incredibly tough times and we’re very much looking forward to this concert which will mark the anniversary in song.”

The Festival is able to make this a free concert thanks to the enthusiastic response to so many Christchurch Arts Festival shows which mean that box-office targets have already been met.

The 70 minute concert features more than 500 singers from adult and secondary school choirs together with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Choirs include the New Zealand Secondary Students Choir, the men of the ChristChurch Cathedral Choir and singing ensembles from around Canterbury. The programme, which also features Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, includes Faure’s Requiem and the chance for everyone to join in the Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah.

Christchurch Sings is at the CBS Canterbury Arena on Sunday 4 September at 7pm. Tickets are available from Christchurch City Council Service Centres in Beckenham, Fendalton, Linwood, Lyttelton, Papanui, Riccarton and Shirley or from the Ticketek counter at the venue with a limit of six tickets per person. Everyone who previously bought a ticket for this concert is being refunded by Ticketek.