Prog rock pioneer pens special song for youth choir

4 hours ago

Jon Wrightin Felixstowe

News image — Rick Wakeman bought a house in Suffolk in 2019, moving from Norfolk

Jon Wright/BBC Rick Wakeman stand at a keyboard with a line of girls in the background. — Rick Wakeman bought a house in Suffolk in 2019, moving from Norfolk

Rock legend Rick Wakeman is teaming up with a local youth choir for a special performance to mark a county's annual celebration day.

The world-famous keyboard player, and former member of Yes, will play with young people from Level Two in Felixstowe, as part of the Suffolk Celebration Concert at St Edmundsbury Cathedral on Sunday 21 June.

Wakeman bought a house near Felixstowe in 2019, but has only recently become involved with the charity.

He said: "They have been excellent, absolutely fantastic. It's going to be a lot of fun on the day, and it's the sort of song, I'm not giving too much away, but probably has never been sung in a cathedral before."

Jon Wright/BBC Ruby Barker stands smiling at the camera. There are several colourful abstract paintings behind her. — Eighteen-year-old Ruby Barker said working with Wakeman was a honour

The 2026 Suffolk Day is being hosted by Bury St Edmunds, with a free community event in the Abbey Gardens and a market on Angel Hill - before the official proclamation and Suffolk medal presentations in the Athenaeum.

The day is rounded off with a ticketed concert hosted by the actress and broadcaster Helen Atkinson-Wood, and curated by theatre director and actor Nick Hutchison.

Ruby Barker is a member of the Level Two choir, and has performed inside the cathedral before.

"It's just beautiful," she said.

"It's just such an honour, all coming together to celebrate Suffolk and I never thought I'd get to say 'oh I sang with Rick Wakeman the other day'... very strange."

Jon Wright/BBC Eight young women and girls stand in a line inside a music room. Some are holding sheets of paper. — The Level Two choir is led by Suzi Lowe and is part of a free creative programme the charity runs

Shez Hopkins, Level Two CEO, said their music programme was "incredibly important, more now so than ever".

Alongside their choir and drama groups, they also run a weekly music production session in their professionally equipped studio.

"One of the things I really value about Level Two is that we offer everything without charge to young people, which means it's actually properly accessible to those that need it most... for those that are incredibly talented and gifted all the way through to those that use it to support mental health.

"We're incredibly privileged to have Rick Wakeman endorsing the work of Level Two and supporting us by encouraging our young people, it's just amazing."

BBC Radio Suffolk will broadcast a special Suffolk Day programme at midday on Sunday 21 June.