COMMUNITY orchestra Ely Sinfonia is staging a family concert in Ely Cathedral on Saturday April 13, with free tickets available for children who are happy to sit on the floor in front of the orchestra.

Cambs Times: Ely SinfoniaEly Sinfonia (Image: Archant)

The concert - called Fingal’s Cave - features music from a romantic era, with items by Strauss and Brahms, as well as Mendelssohn’s breathtaking Hebrides Overture, known as Fingal’s Cave.

Cambs Times: Ely Sinfonia conductor Steve BinghamEly Sinfonia conductor Steve Bingham (Image: Archant)

Press officer Patricia Mathieson said: “’Ely Sinfonia as founded as a millennium project to make sure we have lots more classical music in Ely and encourage kids to learn to play and compose.

“At our family concert, anyone with a £20 or £15 ticket can take a child under 16 in with them free of charge, provided they ask for the child’s ticket at the same time that they buy their own ticket.

“The children are asked to bring cushions or sleeping bags and they can sit or lie on the floor right in front of the orchestra. When we did this at our Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra concert last year, it was a huge success.”

As well as Fingal’s Cave, the concert will include Richard Strauss’s Horn Concerto no 1, and ends with Brahms’ lyrically beautiful Symphony No 2. The conductor is Steve Bingham, and the soloist Nick Wolmark.

Patricia added: “The music all comes from the romantic era, which spanned the nineteenth century and was a time of beautiful tunes, sometimes delightfully lyrical and at other times dark and mystical. It should make for a wonderful evening of easy listening for both veteran audiences and people new to classical music.”

Tickets for the 7.30pm concert cost £20 and £15 reserved, and £5 unreserved, with concessions paying £10 in the £15 seats. To book call Ely Cathedral box office on 01353 660349.