Chapel Choir Earns Coveted Finalist Spot In Barnardo’s National Choral Competition
The Harrogate Ladies’ College Chapel Choir recently soared to the finals of the Barnardo’s National Choral Competition with their recorded performance of two contrasting pieces by John Rutter and Abba.
Harrogate Ladies’ College Chapel Choir
The Choir consists of 27 pupils who range from Year 10 to Year 13 and span a wide cross-section of the student body from day pupils to boarders, who recently reached the final of the Girls’ School Association choir competition back in May and will be going on tour to Normandy at the end of this term.
Birmingham Symphony Hall will host the National Choral Competition Final on 5th March, where the Chapel Choir will perform the same repertoire as their entry and go up against the very best choral groups in the UK.
Competition day is a jam-packed affair, starting with performances for the judges during the day, followed by an evening concert where the pupils will sing some joint pieces which have been sent to all finalists. The competition results will then be announced shortly after.
Head of Music and choir leader, Kate Morgan, says
“I am incredibly proud of the Chapel Choir. Everyone has worked extremely hard and shown amazing commitment, in order to learn new material and build on choral skills week by week. We have one and a half hour rehearsals every Thursday evening, and early morning Monday rehearsals too. This significant amount of time that is spent together has really created a sense of joy and camaraderie amongst the pupils. Every member of the choir makes these rehearsals their priority and it is a privilege to work with such dedicated young people. Everyone is at a different stage of their singing journey, but together we create something that is incredibly beautiful to listen to. We prepared our competition recording at the same time as we were preparing for our Christmas events, including AN a cappella recital at Fountains Abbey and our highly accomplished carol service in St Wilfrid’s Church, so we were very busy! I am delighted that all the hard work has paid off and I am looking forward to a memorable day in Birmingham in March”.
Founded in 2008, the competition is the largest schools choir competition in the UK and helps raise funds for Barnardo’s vital work with children and young people across the UK.