Welcome to Ely Choral Society
Ely Choral Society is a flourishing mixed voice choir conducted by Andrew Parnell, one of the UK’s foremost choral conductors.
Concerts are held in Ely Cathedral and other venues locally with professional soloists and orchestras, together with musicians from the Ely and Cambridge area.
The Ely Youth Choir for Secondary-age students was launched with great success in 2010 and is aimed at young people who want to experience the fun and excitement of choral singing to public audiences.
Concerts for the 2025-26 concert season are outlined below.
2025-26 CONCERT SEASON
We are excitedly looking forward to performing four concerts in Ely during the 2025-26 concert season.
In the Ely Cathedral Octagon on Saturday 18th October 2025 at 7:30 pm we will perform a concert ‘LET EVERYTHING THAT HATH BREATH, PRAISE THE LORD’, which will be a programme of reflective and celebratory works from BACH to BRUCKNER and beyond, exploiting the unique sonorities created by the breaths of voices and instruments – an inspiring mixture! Our large choir, a trombone quartet, SLIDEWAYS, and the magnificent Harrison and Harrison organ with Jeremy Lloyd combine to fill the splendid vaults of Ely Cathedral with glorious music. The concert will be conducted by Andrew Parnell.
Our Christmas Concert, ‘Christmas Messiah’, will be in St. Mary’s Church, Ely on Saturday 13th December 2025 at 7:30 pm. We will sing a traditional programme of music and readings for the festive season with its familiar mixture of carols for choirs and audience. The programme will include Advent and Christmas movements from Handel’s ever-popular Messiah with Ely Youth Choir, Rebecca Duckworth (soprano) and Jeremy Lloyd (organ). For many, this sell-out concert marks the start of the final run-up to Christmas but can also offer a much-needed respite from frenzied preparations! The concert will be conducted by Andrew Parnell.
On Saturday 28th March 2026 we will sing Haydn’s Creation in Ely Cathedral at 7:30 pm. After Handel’s Messiah, this is the next most important oratorio, both chronologically and in popularity. It tells the story of God’s forming of everything in the world – night and day, the earth, air and sea, and all that inhabits them, including humans portrayed by Adam and Eve – as told in the first two chapters of the book of Genesis. The music has thrilling drama and tender description all under-scored by Haydn’s mastery of melody and orchestration. Look out for the serpent! The concert will be supported by Young Soloists promoted by the Josephine Baker Trust, the Medlock Sinfonia (leader Helen Medlock) and conducted by Andrew Parnell.
Our Summer Concert will be on Saturday 4th July 2026 at 7.00 pm in St. Mary’s Church, Ely and celebrate the semi-quincentennial of the USA. The concert brings us music from the different centuries of America’s history with works by Henry Billings (18th Century), Horatio Parker (19th Century), Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and Morten Lauridsen (20th and 21st Centuries), and more with Ely Youth Choir and Jeremy Lloyd (accompanist), conducted by Andrew Parnell.
Tickets for concerts in Ely Cathedral will be on sale from the Ely Cathedral Box Office and at http://www.elycathedral.org/events and on https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ely-choral-society/t-mommarq for concerts at St Mary’s Church, Ely.
The Covid pandemic now seems well in the past but it did give us the opportunity to do some innovative thinking to keep the choir singing! We created a small Ely Choral Society Virtual Choir by making video recordings on our mobile phones. Before it all becomes a history you can still hear our virtual choir by clicking on the following YouTube links:
Welcome to Ely Choral Society
Ely Choral Society is a flourishing mixed voice choir conducted by Andrew Parnell, one of the UK’s foremost choral conductors.
Concerts are held in Ely Cathedral and other venues locally with professional soloists and orchestras, together with musicians from the Ely and Cambridge area.
The Ely Youth Choir for Secondary-age students was launched with great success in 2010 and is aimed at young people who want to experience the fun and excitement of choral singing to public audiences.
Concerts for the 2025-26 concert season are outlined below.
2025-26 CONCERT SEASON
We are excitedly looking forward to performing four concerts in Ely during the 2025-26 concert season.
In the Ely Cathedral Octagon on Saturday 18th October 2025 at 7:30 pm we will perform a concert ‘LET EVERYTHING THAT HATH BREATH, PRAISE THE LORD’, which will be a programme of reflective and celebratory works from BACH to BRUCKNER and beyond, exploiting the unique sonorities created by the breaths of voices and instruments – an inspiring mixture! Our large choir, a trombone quartet, SLIDEWAYS, and the magnificent Harrison and Harrison organ with Jeremy Lloyd combine to fill the splendid vaults of Ely Cathedral with glorious music. The concert will be conducted by Andrew Parnell.
Our Christmas Concert, ‘Christmas Messiah’, will be in St. Mary’s Church, Ely on Saturday 13th December 2025 at 7:30 pm. We will sing a traditional programme of music and readings for the festive season with its familiar mixture of carols for choirs and audience. The programme will include Advent and Christmas movements from Handel’s ever-popular Messiah with Ely Youth Choir, Rebecca Duckworth (soprano) and Jeremy Lloyd (organ). For many, this sell-out concert marks the start of the final run-up to Christmas but can also offer a much-needed respite from frenzied preparations! The concert will be conducted by Andrew Parnell.
On Saturday 28th March 2026 we will sing Haydn’s Creation in Ely Cathedral at 7:30 pm. After Handel’s Messiah, this is the next most important oratorio, both chronologically and in popularity. It tells the story of God’s forming of everything in the world – night and day, the earth, air and sea, and all that inhabits them, including humans portrayed by Adam and Eve – as told in the first two chapters of the book of Genesis. The music has thrilling drama and tender description all under-scored by Haydn’s mastery of melody and orchestration. Look out for the serpent! The concert will be supported by Young Soloists promoted by the Josephine Baker Trust, the Medlock Sinfonia (leader Helen Medlock) and conducted by Andrew Parnell.
Our Summer Concert will be on Saturday 4th July 2026 at 7.00 pm in St. Mary’s Church, Ely and celebrate the semi-quincentennial of the USA. The concert brings us music from the different centuries of America’s history with works by Henry Billings (18th Century), Horatio Parker (19th Century), Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein and Morten Lauridsen (20th and 21st Centuries), and more with Ely Youth Choir and Jeremy Lloyd (accompanist), conducted by Andrew Parnell.
Tickets for concerts in Ely Cathedral will be on sale from the Ely Cathedral Box Office and at http://www.elycathedral.org/events and on https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/ely-choral-society/t-mommarq for concerts at St Mary’s Church, Ely.
The Covid pandemic now seems well in the past but it did give us the opportunity to do some innovative thinking to keep the choir singing! We created a small Ely Choral Society Virtual Choir by making video recordings on our mobile phones. Before it all becomes a history you can still hear our virtual choir by clicking on the following YouTube links:
