Three talented choristers enjoy National Youth Choir Courses

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National Youth Choir, national youth choir courses, RHS, RHS Music, singing, the royal hospital school

 

Over the Easter holidays three of our most talented singers were involved with three separate National Youth Choir courses across the country. They came back brimming with enthusiasm and keen to tell us about the amazing time they had with like-minded musicians.

Taylor Godfrey, Yr 10
Memories of my first 5 days with the National Youth Choir will remain with me always. Being in the company of so many like-minded people was fabulous. We worked hard from 9.20am until 8.00pm, the music was great and the staff made it all the more enjoyable. Singing music which is so rarely performed was a great privilege and I look forward to singing it again at the Aldeburgh Festival and seeing the reaction of the audience. Our course was based in Banbury and we sang a concert in Worchester Cathedral where I was privileged to have sung the solo in Britten’s Children’s Crusade.

Tom Brown, Yr 8
I found the course hard but fun and after getting over the first days of not knowing anybody, I soon made lots of friends. I really enjoyed the pieces, especially the Macedonian folk song, because it was a language that I had never sung in before. For the first time, I sang Soprano 2 and it was a great to sing in a different pitch and sight read harder music, especially in different languages (German too!). After the second day, I found friends to play football with and we had lots of social activities to give us a break from singing – Easter egg hunts, limbo and a big sports competition. A great experience but lots of hard work!! Roll on the summer course…..

George Rennison, Yr 12
Doing NYC was one of the best things to happen in my life so far. It was amazing fun to meet loads of new and talented people, and to make incredible music outside of school.

A Fabulous Medley of Choirs at the RHS Choirs’ Concert

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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

Chamber Choir

Chapel Choir perform on the balcony

Ex-Pupil Stars in ‘Grease’

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acting, Drama, grease, hood, royal hospital school, singing

Royal Hospital School ex-pupil, Kate Somerset How, is playing ‘Rizzo’ in the No 1 Greatest Musical – ‘Grease’ as it tours the UK this autumn. Kate’s performance has been widely acclaimed with reviews such as

“Rizzo’s solo is one of the outstanding moments of the production”

The Show comes to Ipswich from the 24^th -29^th September before it continues its ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ tour of the UK finishing in Leicester on 30^th December.

Kate Somerset How, an accomplished singer and actress, joined the Royal Hospital School aged 13. She claims her time at the School ‘defined her life’ and said “the Royal Hospital School gave me the kind of opportunities I would never have got anywhere else; being in the choir was something you were held in very high esteem for and singing at the Royal Albert Hall for the Festival of Remembrance was a fantastic experience”.

Kate graduated from the Central School of Speech and Drama in 2006; and has since been on ITV’s Grease is the Word,  City, and online as Lush Town’s femme fatale. She has also played numerous parts for stage.

Kate’s former school will be supporting her in Ipswich as an enthusiastic group of girls’ from Hood House will be attending the opening show.

The Royal Hospital School is a coeducational boarding and day school for 11 to 18 year olds set in 200 acres of Suffolk countryside. www.royalhospitalschool.org

School taken over by Theatretrain with very special guest Richard Munday

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act, actor, CINDY, dance, dancing, Hairspray, her majesty's theatre, local, opera, perform, performing, phantom, phantom of the opera, regional, RHS, richard munday, royal hospital school, shows, sing, singing, theatretrain, west end

Theatretrain provides professional training in the Performing Arts for young people aged 6 – 18. Working as a team their weekly drama, dance and singing classes are fun, build confidence and develop the imagination. As the company that loves to perform they provide many opportunities for ALL pupils to perform in local, regional and West End shows. Their classes of acting, singing and dancing are taught in age groups 6-9, 9-12 and 13-18.  Their teachers are experienced professionals chosen for their experience and enthusiasm.

This week they have had West End star Richard Munday inspiring the students with his experiences in the musical HAIRSPRAY. Richard is now appearing in Phantom of The Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre. On Sunday 65 pupils will perform in their production of CINDY.

http://www.theatretrain.co.uk

The Royal Hospital School is a coeducational Independent boarding and day school for 11 to 18 year olds set in 200 acres of Suffolk Countryside. http://www.royalhospitalschool.org/