The Vikings come back to Ely!

After a break of a few hundred years the Vikings are returning to Ely. But this time the visitors from Denmark will be musicians rather than warriors.
A 30-strong chamber choir from Ribe, the Danish city twinned with Ely, will receive an official welcome from the Ely-Ribe Twinning Association when it comes to give two concerts in Ely Cathedral.
The choir, Ribe Kammerkor, is being hosted by Ely Choral Society, and the two groups will join forces on Saturday 4 November for ‘A Choral Celebration’. The concert, featuring works by Britten, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Rutter as well as by the 19th century Danish composer Niels Gard, starts at 7.30 pm.
The programme also includes organ solos by Lotte Bille Glaesel, Ribe Kammerkor’s Director, and local organist John Wyatt. The conductors are Lotte Bille Glaesel and Ely Choral Society’s Musical Director, Andrew Parnell.
Ribe Kammerkor will also give a free lunchtime concert in Ely Cathedral’s Lady Chapel on the previous day, Friday 3 November, performing works by Gade, Palestrina and Nielsen, among others. The soprano soloist is Pia Hansen while Andrew Parnell will be the accompanist.
Howard McMillan, Chairman of the Ely-Ribe Association, said the association was proud to be associated with the concerts.
“We hope that it is the beginning of a lasting relationship between the two choirs, with regular concerts taking place in Ely and in Ribe,” he said. “One of our aims is to establish links between similar interest groups in the two towns and this concert is the successful conclusion of one such initiative.”
“Our thanks go to the members of both choirs – without their cooperation and hard work these concerts would not be taking place,” he added.
Tickets for the Saturday concert, at £15 and £20 (£5 for under-18s) are available from Ely Cathedral Box Office (01353 660349), at www.elycathedral.org and on the door.