Opera Babes back in county

From the Royal Albert Hall in London to the Stardust Casino in Las Vegas, the Opera Babes have performed in all the big venues.

But on Saturday night Soprano Rebecca Knight and mezzo soprano Karen England swopped all that for St Laurence's Parish Church in Ludlow.

See our photo gallery below

The duo performed to a packed church as part of the annual Ludlow Festival.

They said they were delighted to be back in the Shropshire town - three years after their last appearance at the festival.

They performed a range of pieces including their signature tune - the Flower Duet by Delibes.

The singing sensations, who also took turns to perform solo pieces, were supported by a string quartet and pianist.

The quartet, led by Rebecca's husband, Noel Vine on violin, also played several pieces beautifully and were excellent entertainers in their own right.

The other musicians were Dave Williams also on the violin, Louise Hawker on viola and last-minute replacement Chris Worsey on cello. Janet Haney performed on the piano.

For me, the evening was over too soon. The Babes' voices effortlessly filled St Laurence's massive acoustics for the encore of You'll Never Walk Alone and then they were off.

Let's hope we don't have to wait another three years to see them in Shropshire again.

By Hannah Costigan

Opera Babes, Rebecca Knight and Karen England, performed an

enchanting evening of classical favourites.

The singing sensations, who also took turns to perform solo pieces,

were supported by a string quartet and pianist.

The Opera Babes' voices effortlessly filled

St Laurence's massive acoustics.