London, 17 October 2006… As part of the Norwegian Pearl inaugural celebrations, innovative cruise line NCL has taken on the role of major sponsor of Southampton Music Services’ 2008 tour of China.

As part of the sponsorship agreement, and in honour of NCL’s newest ship visiting Southampton on 1 December 2006, a sixty strong choir of young singers and a thirty strong brass band from the local area will be entertaining the arriving visitors in Southampton’s Queen Elizabeth II Terminal with seasonal songs and music.

Francis Riley, General Manager NCL UK, comments “NCL is all about broadening its guests' cultural awareness and attracting people who want to explore and experience new cultures and destinations through the ports of call that we visit.  To be able to help the younger generation visit such a fascinating and inspiring destination as China is great for us."

The Southampton Music Services, which is run by Southampton City Council, is renowned countrywide for the quality provision of music education and has a worldwide reputation for its individual ensembles. Previous musical tours have taken groups to Canada and Cuba. Philip Litchfield, Music Director, comments “The value of activities such as the trip to China is enormous, not only in terms of the young person’s general cultural education, but also in terms of their personal and social development.”

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