Commemoration & Celebration

Commemoration & Celebration

Commemoration & Celebration

The Commonwealth Resounds is proud to present this beautiful song, ‘Majesty’, to commemorate the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and celebrate the ascension of His Majesty King Charles III to the throne.

The composer, Paul Whitfield and lyricist, Rodrica Rudge were both finalists in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Song for the Commonwealth competition organised by the Commonwealth Resounds.

The song is performed by pupils, staff and alumni from The Purcell School for Young Musicians. Special thanks to the amazing achievements of Noah Chiari aged 17, who arranged, rehearsed and recorded the song.

Majesty

by Paul Whitfield | Lyrics by Rodrica Rudge

Performers

Gayatri Nair – vocals
Djordje Jovanovic – piano

Strings
Richard Montgomery, Susannah Alsey, Iklim Ozenli, Sophie Baxter, Zaki Osahn

Brass
Freddie Faragher, Albert Owen, Chloe Harrison

Noah Chiari – Arrangement, editing and recording
Editing and Recording Consultant – Troy Kartarahardja and Ross Conquer
Musical Director – Aidan Goetzee
Commonwealth Musical Consultant – Alison Cox

Commemoration & Celebration

The Commonwealth Resounds is proud to present this beautiful song, ‘Majesty’, to commemorate the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and celebrate the ascension of His Majesty King Charles III to the throne.

The composer, Paul Whitfield and lyricist, Rodrica Rudge were both finalists in the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Song for the Commonwealth competition organised by the Commonwealth Resounds.

The song is performed by pupils, staff and alumni from The Purcell School for Young Musicians. Special thanks to the amazing achievements of Noah Chiari aged 17, who arranged, rehearsed and recorded the song.

Majesty

by Paul Whitfield | Lyrics by Rodrica Rudge

Performers

Gayatri Nair – vocals
Djordje Jovanovic – piano

Strings
Richard Montgomery, Susannah Alsey, Iklim Ozenli, Sophie Baxter, Zaki Osahn

Brass
Freddie Faragher, Albert Owen, Chloe Harrison

Noah Chiari – Arrangement, editing and recording
Editing and Recording Consultant – Troy Kartarahardja and Ross Conquer
Musical Director – Aidan Goetzee
Commonwealth Musical Consultant – Alison Cox

To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

To Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II

1926-2022

The Commonwealth Resounds is deeply saddened to hear about the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th 2022. We also extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all the musicians, composers, choirs, lyricists and partner organisations throughout the Commonwealth who helped make The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee so special and memorable in June 2022.

'Majesty' is a beautiful song in commemoration of Her Majesty The Queen. It was composed by Paul Whitfield with lyrics by Rodrica Rudge.

Paul and Rodrica were both finalists in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Beacons Song for the Commonwealth Competition.

The song was written for The Commonwealth Resounds and is performed by pupils, staff and alumni from The Purcell School for Young Musicians. Special thanks to the amazing achievements of Noah Chiari aged 17, who arranged, rehearsed and recorded the song.

Majesty

by Paul Whitfield | Lyrics by Rodrica Rudge

Performers

Gayatri Nair - vocals
Djordje Jovanovic - piano

Strings
Richard Montgomery, Susannah Alsey, Iklim Ozenli, Sophie Baxter, Zaki Osahn

Brass
Freddie Faragher, Albert Owen, Chloe Harrison

Noah Chiari - Arrangement, editing and recording
Editing and Recording Consultant - Troy Kartarahardja and Ross Conquer
Musical Director - Aidan Goetzee
Commonwealth Musical Consultant - Alison Cox

Queen Elizabeth II

1926-2022

The Commonwealth Resounds is deeply saddened to hear about the death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th 2022. We also extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to all the musicians, composers, choirs, lyricists and partner organisations throughout the Commonwealth who helped make The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee so special and memorable in June 2022.

'Majesty' is a beautiful song in commemoration of Her Majesty The Queen. It was composed by Paul Whitfield with lyrics by Rodrica Rudge.

Paul and Rodrica were both finalists in the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Beacons Song for the Commonwealth Competition.

The song was written for The Commonwealth Resounds and is performed by pupils, staff and alumni from The Purcell School for Young Musicians. Special thanks to the amazing achievements of Noah Chiari aged 17, who arranged, rehearsed and recorded the song.

Majesty

by Paul Whitfield | Lyrics by Rodrica Rudge

Performers

Gayatri Nair - vocals
Djordje Jovanovic - piano

Strings
Richard Montgomery, Susannah Alsey, Iklim Ozenli, Sophie Baxter, Zaki Osahn

Brass
Freddie Faragher, Albert Owen, Chloe Harrison

Noah Chiari - Arrangement, editing and recording
Editing and Recording Consultant - Troy Kartarahardja and Ross Conquer
Musical Director - Aidan Goetzee
Commonwealth Musical Consultant - Alison Cox

Flourish!

Flourish!

Flourish

The Commonwealth Resounds is delighted and very proud to be working in partnership with Birmingham Contemporary Music Group in this special project

As part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival, BCMG presents Flourish!, a Creative City Project generously funded by Birmingham City Council.

Flourish! seeks to re-imagine the fanfare – a ubiquitous part of sporting ceremonies – for the 21st Century and bring together communities through the medium of music. Throughout the spring and summer of 2022, we will be working with 10 ‘musical triangles’, each comprising of a non-professional or youth ensemble, a composer, and a Commonwealth connection, to create fanfares inspired by and celebrating the Commonwealth – its nations, individuals and values of diversity and tolerance.

Each composer will work collaboratively with their ensemble to create a brand new fanfare which will be performed live this Summer, as well as filmed and shared as a digital concert. BCMG’s Flourish! is a partnership with The Commonwealth Resounds.

You can read more about this exciting project here

Read below some lovely comments from young composers who participated in BCMG’s Creative Composing Lab, composing 1-minute fanfares, directed by David Horne and Kuljit Bhamra

Thank you for the opportunity to participate in this event. It was an indescribable feeling, hearing the professional musicians playing my music. It was an amazing experience, learning from the other composers, which I will remember for a long time

Jia Ler

Singapore

Thank you so much!
This was truly a wonderful experience and I had such a good time! I am so grateful to have been a part of it.

Looking forward to hearing the recording

Anjali Pramod

India

I am so thrilled to have participated in this wonderful event with my student, Peace.
My student and I were so happy to hear music being performed exactly the way it was written and on very strange instruments like the Indian table, oboe, double bass and trumpet.

Thanks for giving us this wonderful opportunity again

Elijah Kiwalabye

Founder /Executive Director, Thrive Music Academy, Uganda

Thank you very much for this opportunity. It was a fantastic experience

Jacob Abela

Malta

David Horne

Professor David Horne teaches in both academic and principal study areas at the RNCM and directs HARP, the college’s Hub for Artistic Research into Performance. He supervises a wide range of composition, performance and musicology PhD students.

Kuljit Bhamra

Kuljit Bhamra MBE Hon DMus is a British composer, record producer and musician whose main instrument is the tabla. He is best known as one of the record producers who pioneered the British Bhangra sound and for his many collaborations with musicians from different genres and continents. He was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List for services to Bhangra and British Asian Music.

Completed! Commonwealth Natural Wonders in Music

Completed! Commonwealth Natural Wonders in Music

Commonwealth Natural Wonders in Music

Listen to musicians from across the Commonwealth perform together virtually, in this beautiful new composition to create a unique celebration of nature though music & art for HM The Queen's Platinum Jubilee
Find out more here

The Commonwealth Secretariat once again commissioned our ensemble in association, The Dionysus Ensemble, to produce a special project to mark HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. The project brought together musicians and artists from across the Commonwealth to celebrate the incredible wild and scenic locations in the region.

The video features a brand-new piece of music that was co-created by Commonwealth musicians, composers, and creatives. It includes illustratrations by Commonwealth artists and photographers to showcase the variety and wide array of environmental riches that can be found throughout the region. The aim of the project was to celebrate and share the diverse beauty of the Commonwealth.

What makes this project truly unique is that the piece of music was created through a collaborative process that involved ideas and influences from all over the Commonwealth. Traditional and folk tunes were incorporated alongside sounds from nature, and musical compositions created by individuals composing in their home countries. This resulted in a beautiful and diverse musical composition that represents the unity and diversity of the Commonwealth.

This project is a beautiful tribute to the Commonwealth and a celebration of its natural riches. We are grateful to the Dionysus ensemble for producing this as part of the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations and hope that the project will inspire others to appreciate and protect the natural wonders of the Commonwealth.

West End Kids!

West End Kids!

West End Kids

West End Kids

Here is something really special – The West End Kids! This amazing video showcases the talents of the ensemble. They performed for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at the prestigious Coutts Reception on 2nd June as the Beacons were lit across the entire Commonwealth in this once-in-a-lifetime celebration.

West End Kids, as a group, have raised hundreds of West End & Broadway stars since 2001, with a unique blend of ambition, opportunity, motivation, mastery and mindset. They aim to give young performers the best possible start in life.