Commonwealth Choral Celebration
The Commonwealth Resounds in Westminster Abbey
Commonwealth Secretary General, Baroness Scotland, stopped and spoke to our young people with such warmth, friendliness and encouragement, and showed a genuine interest in them. THANK YOU, Secretary-General!
Today has seen a wonderful rehearsal at Westminster Abbey with The Commonwealth Resounds, featuring our Commonwealth Festival Choir and Orchestra. This is all in preparation for Monday’s Commonwealth Service. Our contribution to the day will include six beautiful songs, many written by school children, a superb ensemble of string players from The Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music, plus some wonderful singing from the Apollo Youth Choir, the Peckham Harris Academy and many others.
Halfway through the rehearsal, Her Excellency The Right Honourable Baroness Scotland of Asthal, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth walked in! She spent a long time listening to the groups rehearse and chatted with many of the children involved. It was lovely to see her and we are very grateful for her kindness and generous donation of her time. She commented:
“They sing like angels”
Baroness Scotland
The Service of Celebration for Commonwealth Day at Westminster Abbey takes place on Monday 13th March and will be broadcast on BBC One, BBC World Service and will be available later on the BBC iPlayer. Tune in from 2:45pm.
Return Visit to Kampala, Uganda!
In October 2017 11 students from Chetham’s School of Music plus teachers and TCR co-Directors Nick and Sarah Oliver will be making a trip to Kampala. TCR last visited there in 2007, running an inspirational and creative programme at the time of the CHOGM and this visit will renew some contacts made then and build many new ones. We’re looking forward to collaborating with Kampala Music School, now a much expanded enterprise since our previous visit, and to outreach work with a range of schools, hospitals and other community and cultural organisations.
Our students, who include string, woodwind, brass and keyboard players as well as singers are all busy raising funds for the trip and we’ll keep updates coming as plans are finalised.
Matthew Higham and Jenny Clarke, two talented, enterprising young musicians from the Purcell School collaborated with The Commonwealth Resounds in a special voluntary project, where they have raised funds to travel to Goa, India, to teach instrumental music to children linked to a charity called Child’s Play.
They were generously supported by the Royal Society of St George, the Toby Davies Fund, the North Norfolk Community Fund and a number of kind friends and family members.
Matthew and Jenny are now in Goa, working hard with the children preparing for a special ‘Monsoon Concert’ on August 20th.
Thanks to the Royal Society of St George
Matthew and Jenny’s project in India has been very kindly supported by the Royal Society of St George. We are all very grateful for their kind and generous support which will help them to go to India and work with a number of children in Goa as part of a Commonwealth Resounds outreach project.