The famous Choir of King's College, Cambridge performed English Church music to the accompaniment of the organ under the baton of Stephen Cleobury on 19th August in the Rector's Palace Atrium.
 
The Festival audience had the opportunity to hear some of the best Church music pieces and choral pieces from different periods of English history. O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth,Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes and Laudibus in sanctis are psalms set to music by the famous Elizabethan composer William Byrd whereas the motets In iejunio et fletu, If ye love me and Lamentations of Jeremiah were composed by another famous composer of that period, Byrd's teacher, Thomas Tallis. Funeral Sentences by Henry Purcell were composed a century later and they have been the standard music at state funerals ever since and are without doubt one of the most beautiful pieces of this kind of music. William Walton composed music for the Royal Family so his March was played at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and his wedding march was performed at the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana as well as at the wedding of Prince William and Princess Kate. The Choir will perform his Litany a capella. Another 20th century composer is Herbert Howells who is said to be the reincarnation of a church composer from the Tudor Dynasty. The Choir will perform his psalm Like as the hart and at the end, Give unto the Lord by the English composer Edward Elgar who often composed music for the needs of the Royal Family at the turn of the 20th century.

Numerous audience at the Rector's Palace was visibly thrilled with the choice of repertoire and also with the top performance of the charming boys, members of the Choir. After the long-lasting applause, followed the encores which presented yet another famous English composer of choir music - Charles Villiers Stanford.

One of the best choirs in the world - Choir of King's College, Cambridge – was founded in 1441 by King Henry VI. Every Christmas Eve millions of people worldwide tune into A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, a service broadcast each year by the BBC. As one of the world's best choral groups they have performed at the most prestigious concert venues and they have released a large number of albums which got excellent reviews and Grammy nominations. Stephen Cleobury has worked with the Choir of King's College, Cambridge for more than 25 years and he has had an important role in enhancing its reputation. Besides conducting, he also appears in organ recitals worldwide. He was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in the 2009 Queen’s Birthday Honours.