AN EVENING of eclectic contemporary folk music awaits audiences at Salisbury Arts Centre.

Singer-songwriter Charlie Dore is being joined on stage by special guests Salisbury Community Choir and her friend and musical partner Julian Littman, of Steeleye Span.

Speaking about joining forces with Salisbury Community Choir, Dore says: “It is great for us – we are harmony junkies. We like a lot of our songs to have big harmonies so it is nice to be able to have a lot of voices on it. They are going to be joining us for three songs.”

The choir will also be performing one of Dore’s signature songs Pilot of the Airways as well as a new song Sons and Daughters.

“It is the first time we have written a song specifically for a choir. It will be the first time we have heard it sung by a big choir so we are really excited about that,” she admits.

The show will feature a variety of songs from Dore’s last five albums, including Milk Roulette.

But she says choosing from her extensive back catalogue can prove difficult.

“I do tend to fall in love with new ones then of course all the other stuff you don’t want to ignore. The more albums you make the harder it gets.

“It is going to get even harder,” she admits. “It is great bringing new stuff in. When we’re working with a new choir that is really exciting as well with all that live harmony behind you it is such a buzz.”

As a songwriter she has had her songs covered by some of the biggest names in music from George Harrison, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, Status Quo and UB40, to name a few.

She took a break from performing for about 15 years while she was writing songs for other people. But she says the love of performing stayed with her: “Towards the end I did really miss performing – I rediscovered that I did love it.”

Growing up Dore was surrounded by music with her mother and aunts playing the piano but admits she was “quite a naughty pupil” when her mum would teach her.

She returned to it in later years and also took up guitar when she was 14, which is also when she started to write songs.

At the age of 16 she met Littman when they were both at drama school, training to be actors. But music was not far behind and they started playing folk clubs and pubs.

Charlie Dore with Julian Littman and special guests the Salisbury Community Choir perform at Salisbury Arts Centre at 7.30pm (doors and bar open 6.45pm) on Thursday, November 24.

“Salisbury looks like a happening place, I’m looking forward to it,” says Dore.

“It is a night of eclectic musicality and lyrically unexpected with lots of different instruments and stories too. There will be quite a lot of banter and of course massive harmonies.”

Tickets are £12 and £10 for concessions, and available from the box office on 01722 321744 or at salisburyartscentre.co.uk