Cork City Hall will come alive on January 28 as young and old from across Cork and beyond gather for the annual Lord Mayor’s Tea Dance.

Organised by a local committee, the event is held in conjunction with the Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Dan Boyle, and chaired by Dr Andrew Crosbie.

The evening will be led by the Cork Pops Orchestra, conducted by Evelyn Grant and the orchestra will be joined by soloists Keith Hanley (winner of The Voice of Ireland) and 8-year-old singer Emma Sophia.

The MTU Carnival Samba Band, directed by Stephen Kelly, will also mark the 20th anniversary of their debut Tea Dance performance in 2005.

Guests will be treated to a mix of musical styles, from Johann Strauss to ABBA, with performances by Cork Swing Dancers and a floor-wide “Slosh” led by Rona Coulter of Viva Dance Studio.

The event will include a raffle in aid of CUH Charity, with all proceeds supporting projects and services to enhance patient care at both Cork University Hospital and Cork University Maternity Hospital.

Tickets for the Tea Dance, priced at €10, are available from Pro Music on Oliver Plunkett Street in Cork.

The Cork Pops Orchestra’s Tea Dances were devised by Gerry Kelly and grew from the successful Millennium Tea Dance project for ‘The Young at Heart’, which took place in Cork city and county.

It has since evolved as Ireland’s only Community Orchestra providing an educational and entertainment service to the public and private sector.

Large-scale projects that the orchestra has been involved in include the annual UCC Strauss Ball, the annual Doc Noonan Ball, “The Tall Ships” visit to Cork, the Tour de France, the Port of Cork Maritime Festival, an annual winter and spring concert series for schools in City Hall and Tea Dances for ‘The Young at Heart’.

The orchestra also runs a mentoring programme for students and emerging young professionals in music performance, multimedia and community music.

For more details, visit www.corkpops.ie.