Cabaret evening raises £600 for King’s Ely charities

People of all ages packed into King’s Ely’s Hayward Theatre for ‘Etheldreda Entertains’ – a fun-filled evening featuring some of the girls’ favourites songs, including many hits from musicals such as Oliver!, Mamma Mia! and The Wizard of Oz.

Entry to the cabaret evening was by donations on the door and, thanks to the generosity of the audience, an impressive £600 was raised for King’s Ely’s school charities this year – Cancer Research UK and the Tsavo Conservation Group.

Ely Cathedral Girls’ Choir (ECGC) sang for the first time in September 2006 and was founded to complement the boys’ choir, which has been part of the English Choral tradition since the mid-16th century.

Since 2010, ECGC has been under the direction of Sarah MacDonald, who is also Director of Music at Selwyn College, Cambridge. Historically, Ely's girl choristers have been educated at King’s Ely Senior (Years 9 to 13), and have boarded together in Canonry House, beside the south entrance of the cathedral. However, since September 2018, the choir has been accepting girls in Years 7 and 8 at King’s Ely Junior.

Choristers receive a specialist musical education and are treated as skilled musicians from the beginning, interacting and performing with professional singers, organists, and conductors on a daily basis. As well as singing their share of cathedral services, ECGC has made a number of critically acclaimed recordings, and has performed in prestigious venues including Westminster Abbey and la Cathédrale Notre Dame.

To discover more about Ely Cathedral Girls’ Choir and other opportunities at King’s Ely, please visit: www.kingsely.org