On Tuesday 1st December a group of very excited children got ready in anticipation of performing at the annual fund raising event hosted by the NSPCC – National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Hair was platted and smoothed, ribbons attached and shoes were polished too!
The chamber choir have been rehearsing diligently for weeks; practising their harmonies and ensuring that they knew every word and rest was in the correct place.
When we arrived at Christ’s Church Spitalfields…the size of the church was what made a big impressive. The chamber choir of fourteen children faced a challenge. Would they be able to sing beautifully and clearly to ensure that every member of the audience would hear?
The performance was a huge success. The chamber choir performed to an excellent standard and were enjoyed by the hundreds of people listening.
The whole evening was enjoyable. We were fortunate to meet Dame Esther Rantzen, the patron of the NSPCC. She talked to us about eating worms in the jungle on ‘I’m a Celebrity, get me out of here’ as well as dancing with Anton du Beke on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
We also listened to Martin Bartlett – the winner of the BBC young musician perform on the piano. He made us all want to go home and practise just a little bit more! The concert was completed by an operatic version of ‘Oh Holy Night’.
We were inspired by the quality of the singing by Selwyn College, Cambridge who seemed to be able to breathe for incredibly long notes. We hope to sing with them again in the future.
All in all, a fabulous night was had by all. Everyone at the Lyceum can be proud of the children that performed as the Chamber Choir. Ms Loh and I are incredibly proud of the performance that they gave.
Sarah Denton, Director of Music
