A PAIR of talented siblings have organised a special musical celebration of Elizabeth I's reign.

A brother and sister have combined forces to arrange a special musical and theatrical performance to mark the anniversary of the famous queen's accession to the English throne in 1558.

Katherine and Andrew Fellowes - both former pupils at Forest School, in College Place, Snaresbrook, put together an innovative version of the Thomas Morley classic, The Triumphs of Oriana to mark the occasion.

Teacher, George Paynter, said the production was heavily influenced by pupils past and present.

He said: "The young queen is played by Daisy Adams, currently an AS level student (and drama scholar) at Forest, while the older Elizabeth, on the other hand, was played by Gillian Tarling, who taught drama at Forest from 1992 to 2006.

"And as if that wasn’t enough, all of the male characters are in the capable hands of old Forester Andrew Fellowes.

"Andrew, who has just completed his vocal studies at the Birmingham Conservatoire and is now starting all over again at the Royal Northern College of Music, was the doyen of many productions directed by Mrs Tarling while they were both at Forest."

Mr Paynter was equally impressed by Katherine Fellowes' contribution to the show.

He said: "The Triumphs is the brainchild of Katherine, who is a postgraduate student at Trinity College.

"She had the ingenious idea of putting together a programme of music and drama to mark this important Elizabethan anniversary.

"The music is a series of madrigals in praise of the queen collected under the name The Triumphs of Oriana by Thomas Morley, a prolific composer who was organist of St Paul’s cathedral in the closing years of Elizabeth’s reign."

The Triumphs was performed at St Alfege’s Church in the heart of Greenwich on Saturday, September 19.