BRITTEN SINFONIA'S SURROUND SOUND PLAYLIST AT ELY CATHEDRAL
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Experience live classical music as you've never imagined it in Britten Sinfonia's spectacular, immersive and welcoming concert format.
You're sitting in the cathedral, looking up at its soaring arches and beautiful ceiling above.
Lighting states shift and capture the mood as a seamless musical sequence fills the magical space from all directions...
... like a radio mix or eclectic playlist, but performed live and all around you by over 100 musicians, with orchestral drama, solo virtuosity and heartbursting moments of choral beauty.
From music you’ll know and love to add to-playlist new favourites, Surround Sound Playlist presents Handel’s Zadok the Priest, Purcell's Music for Queen Mary, Ennio Morricone's Cinema Paradiso suite and stomping folk sets by Will Pound alongside music by Grieg, Ravel, Eric Whitacre, Morten Lauridsen and Caroline Shaw.
*** Update: the Immersive Zone floor spaces are now sold out, but excellent unreserved seats in the transepts with a view of the main stage are available, with pricing Pay What You Can from just £6! Or you can buy a Premium Seat for £25-£40. ***
Discover more
Performers
Will Pound folk melodeon / harmonica
Tenebrae with Nigel Short conductor
Britten Sinfonia with Zoë Beyers violin / director
Cambridge Community Chorus
Coleridge Community College musicians
Programme to include:
Ēriks Ešenvalds Stars
Handel Zadok the Priest; The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Morten Lauridsen O Magnum Mysterium
Ennio Morricone Cinema Paradiso suite
Parry I was glad
Prokofiev Dance of the Knights from Romeo & Juliet
Purcell Funeral March for Queen Mary
Traditional / Will Pound Amazing Grace
Traditional Danish Shine you no more
Ravel Pavane pour une infante defunte
Caroline Shaw And the swallow
Eric Whitacre Sleep
As part of Britten Sinfonia’s sustainability goal, we encourage you to travel to and from our concerts with our shared environment in mind. Try the Mobilityways App or Liftshare platform to carpool with fellow concertgoers from your community.
What audience members said about our 2025 performances
"It was like classical Glastonbury!"
“I just couldn’t believe how good it was. It was like a gift from heaven.”
“The overall atmosphere was one of deep tranquility and the performers were exceptional. It was the first experience of live classical music for both myself and my companion and we both had a wonderful time.”
“A fantastic immersive experience as well as some world class performances. Such great programming which suited all the generations of our family who came. The teenagers loved not sitting in a tiered concert hall. The early 30s loved the movement and extra production value. Us oldies appreciated the great performances by some of the best international stars of the classical world.”
Your Experience
- Because performances come from multiple stages in the space, there’s no one best place to be.
- Bring the family - the atmosphere is relaxed!
Pricing
UNRESERVED SEATS: Choose a an unreserved seat in one of the transepts with a side view of the main stage.
Pay What You Can, from £6 to £30
PREMIUM SEATS: Choose from a select number of reserved seats with a variety of excellent views.
£25 -£40
IMMERSIVE ZONES (currently sold out): Unreserved spaces for you to bring a cushion or a gym mat and sit or lie on the floor in the cathedral's main nave.
Pay What You Can, from £6 to £30
Watch 90-second highlights from 2025
