Ely Cathedral Boys’ Choir teamed up with choristers from Norwich and Peterborough for a performance to commemorate three major centenaries.

Ely Standard: The Three Choirs concert at Norwich Cathedral featured members of Ely Cathedral Boys Choir. PHOTO: Paul Hurst.The Three Choirs concert at Norwich Cathedral featured members of Ely Cathedral Boys Choir. PHOTO: Paul Hurst. (Image: copyright (c) paul hurst all rights reserved)

The concert, held at Norwich Cathedral on May 24 as part of this year’s Norfolk and Norwich Festival, was organised to celebrate the birth of Leonard Bernstein, the death of Hubert Parry and the founding of the Choir Schools’ Association.

The evening also included the world première of a work by Alex Woolf, Dark Sayings, which Alex wrote specifically for the event.

The programme also included Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms - this year marks his 100th birthday.

Hubert Parry, the English composer who gave the world Jerusalem, died on October 7, 1918 and the programme featured two of his anthems including I Was Glad.

Ely Standard: The Three Choirs concert at Norwich Cathedral featured members of Ely Cathedral Boys Choir. PHOTO: Paul Hurst.The Three Choirs concert at Norwich Cathedral featured members of Ely Cathedral Boys Choir. PHOTO: Paul Hurst. (Image: copyright (c) paul hurst all rights reserved)

Vaughn Williams, Holst and Ireland, all pupils of Parry, were also included in the programme.

Ely’s, Norwich’s and Peterborough’s cathedral choirs are all members of the Choir Schools’ Association (CSA), which was formed by the headmasters of St Paul’s Cathedral School, Westminster Abbey Choir School and King’s College School, Cambridge.