Aled Jones to perform At Ely Cathedral

May Day at Ely Cathedral this year will be like a bouquet of spring flowers when, at the annual concert in aid of Ely Cathedral Music Appeal on Monday 7th May, singer and Songs of Praise presenter, Aled Jones, will be performing alongside the Cathedral Choristers and the Ely Imps. The nation remembers Aled with great affection from his time as the Bangor Cathedral chorister with the unique treble voice who later went on to pop stardom with ‘Walking in the Air’. The treble voice has now matured into a lyrical baritone and is in as much demand as ever, with Aled releasing albums each year and touring the country whenever his hectic schedule as a BBC radio and TV presenter allows. Aled can be heard every Sunday morning on BBC Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday, he also presents Friday Night is Music Night and The Choir for the BBC. Additionally he records around 20 programmes for Songs of Praise each year and will be taking part in a new weekly quiz programme for BBC2 in the summer called ‘What are you Like’.

 

Aled’s first love is, of course, music and he is delighted to be returning to Ely Cathedral to help with the Appeal which was set up in 2005 to raise funds to ensure the long-term sustainability of both the music and the choristers at the Cathedral. The Music Appeal aims to raise an endowment fund of £10 million.    And Aled is no stranger to the choristers at the cathedral because in 2006 he was the ‘manager’ of the choral boy-band known as ‘The Choirboys’, two of whom (Patrick and C-J) came from Ely Cathedral!

When Aled sings with Ely Cathedral Choir on 7th May he will be performing with choristers who can trace their origins back to the mid 16th century and perhaps even back as far as King Canute!   The present-day choir has recently had the pleasure of working with Jose Carreras, James Bowman, the BBC Symphony Orchestra, The Brandenburg Consort, Sir Simon Rattle and John Rutter. They have also appeared on the TV and radio as well as two Christmas appearances at the Royal Albert Hall.

In 2006, when the Cathedral wished to increase its musical outreach, a voluntary children’s choir was formed from the children from local schools in the Cambridgeshire area. Known as the ‘Ely Imps’ the children made their debut at the Cathedral on May Day 2006 where they performed ‘Carnival of the Animals’ conducted by John Rutter and this May Day Concert gives the Imps will the opportunity to be on stage with Aled Jones.

Naturally both choirs are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to perform alongside Aled who, as a chorister himself, has great affinity with choral groups around the country. It promises to be a spectacular evening with something for everyone to enjoy.

Ticket prices vary from £8, £15, £20 & £25 with plasma screens the length of the Cathedral to ensure everyone gets a good view ! There are also limited premium seats at £50 each which includes champagne reception during the interval as well as an invitation to a reception in the Lady Chapel post the concert and the chance to meet the man himself.

Tickets and information about the concert are available from the Cathedral Box Office on 01353 660349 or via online booking from the website.