King’s Ely Junior singers enjoy fun-filled tour of Belgium

King’s Ely Junior pupils had their voices well and truly heard during an action-packed trip overseas.

Ely Cathedral Boy Choristers, who are all pupils at King’s Ely Junior, and King's Voices, which is the junior school’s boys’ and girls’ chamber choir, enjoyed a hugely successful tour of Belgium, where they performed two masses and two concerts in just three days.

The 45-strong choir was invited to perform mass in both Antwerp Cathedral and Brussels Cathedral. They also performed concerts in St Pauluskerk in Antwerp, which boasts a stunning acoustic, and St Baafs Cathedral in Gent, in which the pupils received a standing ovation.

The fact that temperatures in Belgium were as high as nearly 40 degrees some days meant the pupils were often relieved to get inside the churches to cool down! Of course there was also lots of sightseeing and free time too, including a canal trip, chocolate shopping, ten pin bowling and a visit to Bobbejanland, a theme park north of Antwerp.

Director of Music at King’s Ely Junior, Neil Porter-Thaw, said: "The choir had a superb tour to Belgium and sang in some quite wonderful locations in front of hundreds of people. For the children to witness a long standing ovation after our last concert was a wonderful experience for them and a testament to their hard work."

King's Ely Junior is a co-educational independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 7-13.