Private School News

ST MARY’S CALNE – Chamber Choir has had a very busy few months.

Following the release of the Requiem on the Regent label in February, the Chamber Choir made its Radio 3 debut as part of the Aled Jones programme – The Choir – in March. Two tracks from the CD were played – Let all the world and Libera me from the Requiem. The CD has received excellent reviews from Classic FM Magazine and many other publications, and a number of musical celebrities such as Sir Tim Rice, Phyllida Lloyd and Seb Hunter have commented on how much they have enjoyed the recording.

At the end of the Spring Term, St Mary’s Chamber Choir enjoyed a six-day tour to Tuscany. Familiar music by Purcell, Mozart and David Bednall was complemented by new music for the season of Lent by Pergolesi, Haydn, Tavener and a brand new piece: Ave Maris Stella by Philip Moore. This is the latest piece to be commissioned on the Choir’s behalf, and is a haunting and demanding work for unaccompanied voices and solo violin. It sounded wonderful in the reverberant Italian churches, and the violin part was superbly played by Charlotte from UVI Form.

As well as performing in San Gimignano, Montecatini, Lucca and Florence, the girls were able to explore these beautiful towns and to soak up the atmosphere and culture. They also had time to climb the leaning tower of Pisa and, once the final musical engagement in Florence was completed on Palm Sunday, to spend the final day of the tour relaxing and sightseeing in Sienna.

The choir’s performances were enjoyed by locals and tourists alike, and of course by the faithful parental fan-club! The six days went past very quickly, and, as is always the case with tours, not only did the group greatly enjoy each other’s company but the demands of a daily rehearsal and performance schedule took the standard of the singing to new heights.