ESCAPE the mundane in Worcester's beautiful Guildhall with a series of new concerts.

Gilded Fridays will start on March 18, reflecting the inscription on the building’s top floor Assembly Room ceiling: “music, poetry, drama and dance”.

Deborah Hodgson, who is organising the events with friend Zeena Lemon, said: “It is a special evening in a beautiful environment.

“As soon as we saw the room we said we should really have concerts here. It is a lovely venue for people to enjoy music.”

The monthly concerts are planned to be an eclectic mix, reflecting some of the best of local talent as well as attracting some international stars.

First to play in the grand setting of the Assembly Room will be Julie Felix, Sixties folk rock singer and one-time girlfriend of Sir David Frost, who has many years’ experience of playing around the world.

Lemon said: “We have some outstanding transatlantic acts lined up. As well as Julie Felix we are so lucky to have Eva Cassidy’s brother Dan Cassidy playing later in the year and New-York singer/songwriter Kenny White in June.

“The aim is also to encourage emerging talent by offering new artists the chance to support more recognized acts.”

Hodgson, who will feature as a supporting act for Felix, also plans to tie up with the opening of the Worcestershire Literary Festival in June and feature one of the Midlands up-and-coming jazz guitarists a little later in the year.

She said: “I am really excited about the artists who will be performing this year, some of them are inspirations of mine and it is a true honour to be able to invite them to play such a breathtaking venue.

“We want people to be able to escape the mundane.”

To find out more about Gilded Fridays e-mail worcesterguildhallmusic@hotmail.co.uk.

For tickets visit malvern-theatres.co.uk or call 01684 892277.