At present it caters for eight-to-11-year-olds but from this autumn the aim is to create a second choir for 11-to-15-year-olds.

With this in mind, a series of four weekly taster sessions are being held from next Thursday.

The driving force behind the choirs is Helen Cowen, for many years head of music at Tapton Secondary until she went to Huddersfield University in January 2007 as a senior lecturer. Within months of her beginning to commute to Huddersfield, Sheffield Young Singers was born.

Helen says: "I knew that when I left Tapton, one of the main things I would miss would be working with choirs and young singers, having conducted several school choirs over the last 20 years."

She describes herself as having "a thirst to continue this in some way."

It's probably not common knowledge that Helen was Vivien Pike's lieutenant in the glory days of the City of Sheffield Girls' Choir – "years ago," when she took charge of the Sheffield Junior Choir.

"I like starting with eight-year-olds with the aim of building the quality of their singing," she says.

The present choir of Sheffield Young Singers of 30-plus eight-to-11-year-olds has already begun to reveal its quality and that confidence led to the commissioning of a new piece of music, the first of a set of six songs by Berlie Doherty and Richard Chew reflecting aspects of Sheffield.

Having premiered the first song at Weston Park Museum in May as part of Music in the Round Festival's community day, the whole of the Sheffield Song Book will get its first performance at the opening of the new Endcliffe Park playground on October 19 later this year.

Helen says: "The children have come a long way in a year. Singing groups take time to nurture and I am very excited about starting the older group. I aim to have both choirs singing at a range of exciting events both locally and outside Sheffield, including national singing festivals."

The taster sessions for the older choir are free and will take place in Endcliffe Methodist Church Hall (Neil Road entrance) between 5pm and 6pm on Thursdays June 19, 26 and July 3, 10.

Booking is not necessary – just turn up; nor is singing experience, just enthusiasm and commitment.

With some 11-year-olds in the younger choir moving into the older one, vacancies will exist so follow the same criteria, except at a different time, 4pm-5pm. Same place and always on Thursday.