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A Fabulous Medley of Choirs at the RHS Choirs’ Concert

04 Friday Apr 2014

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barbershop group, chamber choir, chapel choir, choir, choir concert, music at rhs, RHS, rhs choir, rhs concert, RHS Music, show choir, singing, suffolk concert, the royal hospital school

On the evening of Saturday 29 March the combined vocal forces of the Royal Hospital School assembled in the Chapel for the first Choirs’ Concert of its kind, featuring not only the Chapel Choir but also the Show Choir, Chamber Choir and Barbershop Group. The evening, which was masterfully compèred by Head of Singing Dominic Peckham, began with a spellbinding performance of Dobrinka Tabakova’s highly atmospheric anthem Praise, sung from the organ loft by the Chapel Choir and conducted by William Saunders, Director of Music. The audience were seated in the east end of Chapel facing the back, an innovation that enabled much greater communication between them and the Choir. The first half continued with a mix of newer music and some sacred choral classics, including Howard Goodall’s much loved setting of Psalm 23 and CV Stanford’s vigorous Ye Choirs of New Jerusalem, and there were most impressive solo performances from Taylor Godfrey (soprano) and Ben Banks (organ). The Choir sounded really superb in their new location and it was a joy to hear the fabulous colours of our Grand Organ used to accompany them.

The Show Choir, led by Assistant Director of Music Alice Reidy, opened the second half of the concert with a rousing rendition of Pharell Williams’ Happy‘ from the front of Chapel. The lighter, secular atmosphere continued with the triumphant appearance of the Barbershop Group, directed by Christian White, Head of Sixth Form, singing two close harmony classics with great accuracy, style and panache. The highlight for many, however, will have been the performance of the Chamber Choir, conducted by Alice Reidy, who sang two extremely poignant pieces of music: Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to the Virgin and the late Sir John Tavener’s The Lamb, the latter favourite proving especially moving in light of the composer’s recent death. Both of these are technically and musically testing and the Choir rose to the challenge with sensitivity and aplomb. Dominic Peckham then took charge; first leading the Chamber Choir in an exquisitely expressive interpretation of Byrd’s Ave Verum Corpus and then, in perhaps the climax of the evening, bringing all the performers and audience to their feet in a thrilling “mash-up” of Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall and Queen’s I want it all, among others. To close the concert with all who had participated, both performers and audience, joining together in song was a joyous end to a wonderful evening.

Alex Hannard, Harvey Crallan, Sam Banks and Tom Brown
Alex Hannard, Harvey Crallan, Sam Banks and Tom Brown
Chamber Choir
Chamber Choir
Chapel Choir perform on the balcony
Chapel Choir perform on the balcony
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Choir commended at Service for Seafarers, St Paul’s Cathedral

19 Saturday Oct 2013

Posted by theroyalhospitalschool in School News

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choir, Music, RHS, RHS Music, royal hospital school, seafarers service, St Pauls, the royal hospital school

One of the highlights this week was our Choir’s performance at the Annual National Service for Seafarers at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday 16 October. They sang magnificently, Head of School, Elizabeth Blackett, spoke eloquently and our flag party were commented upon as being outstanding.

The choristers joined the combine choirs of the Royal Hospital School, Pangbourne, Bearwood College, The Royal School and The London Nautical School in the Chancel of St Paul’s Cathedral.

After the service, RHS pupil Tapashya Sunuwar received a highly coveted music bursary from Mr Adam Gosling on behalf of the Gosling Foundation and other donors to the Annual National Service for Seafarer’s.




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Academic Music Extra with Dr Michael Nicholas

21 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by theroyalhospitalschool in School News

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choir, Michael Nicholas, Music, music lecture, Norwich Cathedral, RHS, RHS Music, the royal hospital school

On Thursday 23 May Dr Michael Nicholas, former Director of Music at Norwich Cathedral, will be giving the last of this term’s music talks. His lecture will be illustrated by some of the finest choral music ever composed and is not one to be missed.

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Dr. Michael Nicholas (left) with David Bunkell, President of The Norfolk Organists’ Association

Michael Nicholas is an organist, composer and conductor who was organist and Master of Choristers at Norwich Cathedral from 1971-1994. He was an Organ Scholar at Jesus College, Oxford, and has been organist and Choir Master at St. James Church, Louth and St Matthew’s Church, Northampton as well as at King Edward VI Grammar School, Louth and Northampton Grammar School. In 1994 he was appointed Chief Executive of the Royal College of Organists and since 1999 has been the Director of Music at St Mary-le-Tower, Ipswich, where he conducts three choirs and promotes a popular lunchtime concert series.

The lecture will be held in the Burns Recital Hall at 7pm. For more information please call 01473 326222 or music@royalhospitalschool.org

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A Standing Ovation at the Choir Concert

17 Friday May 2013

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choir, choir concert, Music, Peter Crompton, RHS, rhs chamber choir, rhs chapel choir, rhs choir, RHS Music, royal hospital shcool, the royal hospital school

On Saturday 11 May the Royal Hospital School hosted their annual Choir Concert. The Concert was a roaring success with a standing ovation and the large audience demanding an encore. This was an extra special concert as it was Peter Crompton’s last Choir Concert as Director of Music at RHS.

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As has become customary, the first half of the Concert was performed from the choir stalls with a range of performances. These included unaccompanied anthems by Thomas Tallis and an exquisite duet by Jessica Hazelton and Hannah Ilori who sang “I waited for the Lord” by Mendelssohn. Jessica also sang Errol Garner’s famous song “Misty” while accompanied by Elizabeth Ponsonby on the saxophone. There were two items by the patron of RHS music, composer John Rutter, who is closely associated with the Royal Hospital School chapel choir. Olivia Peacock distinguished herself at the grand organ in a solo based on the hymn “Now that we all our God” by Karg-Elert. The chamber choir finished the first half with performances of “Streets of London” and the famous “Rhythm of Life” by Sammy Davis Jr.

The second half was performed from the organ gallery and featured great anthems, such as “Eternal Father Strong to Save” by the former organist of Liverpool Cathedral, Noel Rawsthorne. This was specially composed for Peter Crompton and the Chapel Choir. The highlight of the second half was the world premiere performance of “Exalt us with your Love” by Will Todd and commissioned by the Royal Hospital School to celebrate the Tercentenary.

The concert finished with Parry’s great anthem “I was glad”; a fitting conclusion in the 60th year since Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey. As the audience demanded an encore the choir responded with “God be in my head” by Philip Wilby.

All together this was a highly successful performance by both the chapel and chamber choirs. Peter Crompton will be performing in one final concert before retiring from the post of Director of Music, which will be the ‘Toccata Spectacular’ organ recital on Saturday 22 June at 1pm. For more information contact music@royalhospitalschool.org or 01473 326222 or www.rhscommunity.co.uk

 

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Help for Heroes, RNLI and the Woolverstone Project to benefit from Gala Concert at RHS

04 Monday Mar 2013

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choir, Help for Heroes, Music, Peter Crompton, RHS, RNLI, royal hospital school, the royal hospital school, the royal hospitals school, the woolverstone project

A Charity Gala Concert is to be held at the Royal Hospital School Chapel on Saturday 16 March raising funds three important charities; the RNLI Lifeboats, Help for Heroes and the Woolverstone Project.

Peter Crompton, Director of Music, and Royal Hospital School Choir

Peter Crompton, Director of Music, and Royal Hospital School Choir

The Concert will feature a range of music from sacred and secular vocal to classical and jazz instrumental and will include pieces by the Chapel and Chamber Choirs, an Organ Solo by talented Year 9 pupil, Ben Banks, a Brass Ensemble and Orchestra, Barber Shop Group, the Concert Band, and the Corps of Drums with a selection from Les Miserables and St Louis Blues.

The Royal Hospital School has a long tradition of music and the 100-strong Chapel Choir has sung at prestigious venues both in this country and overseas. They have performed alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Ipswich Regent and at the Royal Albert Hall and, this year, were at the Royal Albert Hall for the Festival of Remembrance. The Band has played in front of large sporting crowds including the England vs. France Rugby Six Nations match at Twickenham and Ipswich Town Football Club this season.

The venue for the event is the magnificent Chapel at the Royal Hospital School which seats over 1,000 with facilities nearby in the Music School.

Tickets are £7 per person and can be booked online at www.rhscommunity.co.uk or via the Music School on 01473 326222. Please contact in advance to arrange disabled access.

The RNLI

The RNLI provides on call, 24-hour lifeboat searches and rescue services and a seasonal lifeguard service. Since it was founded in 1824, its lifeboats, and since 2001, its lifeguards, have saved more than 140,000 lives. More and more people are using beaches and the sea for leisure and RNLI crews and lifeguards are responding to an increased number of incidents. In 2012, 49% of launches were to leisure craft users, 20% to people ashore, 13% to people in the water, 10% to merchant or fishing vessels and 8% to other sea users. Their Values reflect the way they do business as an organisation, and their vision is to end preventable loss of life at sea. The work of the RNLI is Selfless, Dependable, Trustworthy and Courageous. http://rnli.org

Help for Heroes

Help for Heroes’ mission is to deliver an enduring national network of support, for our wounded and their families. They emphasise that they will inspire and enable those who have made sacrifices on our behalf to achieve their full potential. The war in Afghanistan may be nearly over, but for those who have suffered life-changing injuries, their battles are just beginning. Help for Heroes will not let them fight these battles alone. They provide services of Individual Support; Recovery Centres; Battling Back Programme; Sport in Recovery; Progression to Elite Sport; Hero Challenges; and a Home away from Home, to only name a few. http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk

The Woolverstone Project

The Woolverstone Project provides sailing opportunities and tuition for those with disabilities in the local area. They do this with the support of RYA Sailability, The Royal Harwich Yacht Club, The Royal Hospital School and the many people and organisations who sponsor them financially. It is their aim to give people the fun and freedom of sailing with the help and tuition of fully qualified instructors, in a safe environment. In March 2012 The Woolverstone Project, were awarded RYA Training status and are now able to run certain RYA courses and issue certificates. Using Access dinghies at Alton Water and the Hawk and Drascombe at Woolverstone, they are able to deliver the full syllabus for the Dinghy Level One and Two courses. http://www.woolverstoneproject.org.uk

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Dedham claims Chapel Choir is Outstanding

12 Wednesday Dec 2012

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carol service, carols at dedham, chapel choir, choir, the royal hospitals school



On Thursday 6 December the Royal Hospital School chapel choir were invited to perform at the annual Carols at Dedham at Munning’s House.

Twenty-five choristers sang carols to around one hundred and fifty guests who showed huge enthusiasm and appreciation of the their efforts.

Organiser of the event, Mr Roy Chapman, described the evening as “outstanding and the best ever in forty years”. Further more, he thanked Mr Crompton and Mr Saunders and went on to say, “you have a talented group of young people at the Royal Hospital School and you must be immensely proud of them. It was truly a memorable start to Christmas”.

The Royal Hospital School Choir is honoured to have been invited back next year.

The Royal Hospital School is a coeducational boarding and day school for 11 to 18 years olds set in 200 acres of Suffolk countryside overlooking the River Stour. http://www.royalhospitalschool.org

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Choir Sing at Admiralty Carol Service

10 Monday Dec 2012

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admiralty carol service, choir, first sea lord, RHS, royal hospital school, royal navy, St Martins in the Field, the royal hospital school

On Monday 3 December thirty-two Royal Hospital School choristers attended the Admiralty Carol Service at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London.

The choir led the hymns throughout the service in the full-capacity church and also sang four pieces conducted by Mr Peter Crompton and accompanied on the organ by Mr William Saunders – Mid Winter, by Chilcott, I wonder as I wander, by Rutti, and Candlelight Carol and Angels’ Carol, by John Rutter.

The First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope described the RHS choristers as “brilliant” and had also appreciated their efforts at St Paul’s Cathedral and The Royal Albert Hall recently.

The pupils enjoyed the experience enormously and Mr John Snoddon MBE, Head of Ceremonial at the Royal Hospital School, who attended drinks afterwards, was requested to pass on the comment that “the Choir’s singing was quite beautiful”.

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The Royal Hospital School is a coeducational boarding and day school for 11 to 18 years olds set in 200 acres of Suffolk countryside overlooking the River Stour. http://www.royalhospitalschool.org

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RHS Choir at the Festival of Remembrance

12 Monday Nov 2012

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British Legion, choir, Festival of Remembrance, Music, Peter Crompton, Royal Albert Hall, royal hospital school, the royal hospital school

Members of the Royal Hospital School Choir were at the Royal Albert Hall leading the worship at the annual Festival of Remembrance on Saturday 10 November.

RHS Choir at the Festival of Remembrance

RHS Choir at the Festival of Remembrance

The Festival of Remembrance is held each year in honour of those who have given their lives in the Service of their country. This year the televised evening event was attended by Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and Prince Michael of Kent. Government ministers included David Cameron and his wife Samantha and Labour leader Ed Miliband and his wife Justine.

Mr Peter Crompton, Director of Music at the Royal Hospital School, who has played the organ at this event for the past 16 years said, “‘it was a great privilege for our choir to return to the Festival of Remembrance. Watched by millions on television and also broadcast on radio, it is a very moving occasion and it is very important not to lose sight of the real meaning behind it all and remember all those who have sacrificed so much so that we can live freely. I congratulate all the pupils involved for their hard work in preparing for and delivering a wonderful performance – particularly as they had to travel back from London in the early hours of the morning to be ready to sing in the School’s own Remembrance Service attended by around 2000 pupils parents, alumni and friends of the School on Sunday morning.”

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The Royal Hospital School is a coeducational boarding and day school for 11 to 18 years olds set in 200 acres of Suffolk countryside overlooking the River Stour. http://www.royalhospitalschool.org

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RHS at the Festival of Remembrance

08 Thursday Nov 2012

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BBC, British Legion, choir, Festival of Remembrance, Music, RHS, Royal Albert Hall, royal hospital school, the royal hospital school

The Royal Hospital School Choir has again been invited to sing at the annual Festival of Remembrance, at the Royal Albert Hall, in honour of those who have given their lives in the Service of their country.

Royal Albert Hall Festival of Remembrance

Festival of Remembrance

On Saturday 10 November, the Royal Albert Hall and Royal British Legion will be welcoming members of the Royal family, Government ministers, Legion members and the general public, to join in an annual commemoration to honour all those who have lost their lives in conflicts.

There will be a matinee (2pm) and an evening performance; the latter will be broadcast licw on BBC TV and radio at 9.15pm. Please check your local guides for details.

A DVD of the Festival of Remembrance will be available soon after the event from the Legion’s Poppy Shop – www.poppyshop.org.uk

The Royal Hospital School is a coeducational boarding and day school for 11 to 18 years olds set in 200 acres of Suffolk countryside overlooking the River Stour. http://www.royalhospitalschool.org

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A Busy Week at RHS

12 Friday Oct 2012

Posted by theroyalhospitalschool in Headmasters Blog

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choir, Divisions, Model United Nations, MUN, Music, Peter Crompton, Pringle Trophy, royal hospital school, St Pauls Cathedral, suffolk, the royal hospital school

The highlight this week must have been our Choir’s performance at the Annual National Service for Seafarers at St Paul’s Cathedral on Wednesday 10 October. They sang magnificently and our Director of Music, Peter Crompton, was in excellent form as the conductor. The Princess Royal was in attendance and our flag party were commented upon by the very ‘top brass’ of the Navy as being outstanding.

National Seafarers Service St Pauls Cathedral

National Seafarers Service St Pauls Cathedral

Earlier in the week, there was a first rate lunchtime music concert held in the Burns Recital Hall on Monday and on Wednesday I was fortunate enough to hear an inspiring scholars’ talk given by Dr Allday about the science in Science Fiction.  I was firmly put in my place over the difference between Science Fiction and Space Opera; so I guess there will be no more quotes from the Jedi Master Yoda in future assemblies!

Over the course of last weekend there were two Model United Nations conferences at Christ’s Hospital and Reigate, and representatives of our Royal Marine’s section travelled to Lympston for the annual Pringle trophy. More about both of those activities will be on the blog very soon.

On Saturday 6 October we held a hugely successful open morning when the school welcomed in excess of 80 families, well above our target of 60.  My thanks to the Year 9 guides who did a magnificent job; to the Heads of School who presented so confidently; and to all those members of staff and pupils whose efforts ensured the success of this important event.  It really is most encouraging to have attracted so many prospective pupils and their families and I look forward to an equally successful open morning in November.

On Saturday evening, I attended an excellent organ recital by our new Head of Academic Music, Mr William Saunders. Congratulations to him on his debut performance as a fully-fledged member of the Royal Hospital School.

On Sunday we saw the first set of Divisions of the academic year. The Inspecting officer, Captain Tulloch, was hugely complimentary over the School’s turnout  – we have set the bar very high. I was particularly impressed by the quality of the junior house squad’s marching.  Well done to the Junior House Prefects for marshalling their squads so well and well done to all our new pupils on making this first set of Divisions such an impressive parade.

New Year 7 Recruits

New Year 7 Recruits

Afterwards, the Chapel was bursting to capacity for our Harvest Thanksgiving Service and it was wonderful to see so many friends and family participating in our first Sunday morning service of the year.

The Royal Hospital School is a coeducational boarding and day school for 11 to 18 years olds set in 200 acres of Suffolk countryside overlooking the River Stour. http://www.royalhospitalschool.org

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