Chester audiences have been treated to a festival of international music in a city venue.

Choirs from across the world performed alongside musicians and singers from Cheshire and Liverpool in a celebration of world music entitled The Hills Are Alive at St Mary’s Creative Space in Chester city centre this week.

The line up included choirs Bel Canto from Edmonton, Canada, Coro San Benildo from The Philippines who performed alongside Fireflies from Ellesmere Port, Hope Street Harmony from Liverpool and Hillside Primary School Choir from Helsby.

Musicians and dancers included Mother Touch Dance Group from Zimbabwe who performed alongside Soundwall and Little Big Band from Chester.

The festival was organised by Chester’s Theatre in the Quarter in partnership with the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen.

Festival organiser Erin Elston said: “It has been an absolute privilege to host some of the world’s finest musicians as they arrived in the UK ready to compete at the International Eisteddfod in Wales; it was a perfect partnership which enabled choirs to stop off in Chester on their way to Wales, and a treat for us to have such an astonishing line up.

“What made it so special was the intimacy of St Mary’s Creative Space, where audiences were thrilled to be so close to a wealth and variety of performers.”

Co-organiser and artistic director of Theatre in the Quarter Matt Baker said: “This is definitely something which we would like to build on; it was so exciting that some of our city and region’s musicians and singers could perform in the same venue as performers from all corners of the globe. I have never experienced such a response from our Chester audiences; some were literally moved to tears.”

Matt added, “St Mary’s burst to life with six year old dancers from Zimbabwe, eleven year old singers from Helsby, students from Manila and women from Canada and Ellesmere Port; what a mix!”

The festival was created in partnership with the International Eisteddfod which takes place in July every year in Llangollen.