SEVENTEEN singers from The Chase School in Malvern were thrilled to be part of a 150-strong choir which performed at Worcester Cathedral at the weekend.
Pupils from the Geraldine Road school took part in Saturday’s performance of Karl Jenkins’ powerful production, The Armed Man: A Mass for Piece.
Preparation for the event had taken place since the Spring within school, with occasional massed rehearsals in Worcester and when the event finally arrived there was plenty of excitement.
For most of the singers it was the first time they had performed with a professional orchestra, and indeed the first time they had sung in such a big choir.
The cathedral setting brought extra poignancy to the moving work, which is an extension of a traditional Mass with added sections such as the Islamic Call to Prayer and settings of the fifteenth-century folk song “L’homme armé”.
The choir was accompanied by the Orchestra of the Swan, whose current associate artist, former BBC Young Musician of the Year Laura van der Heijden, played Elgar’s Cello Concerto in the first half of the concert.
Conductor Neil Ferris, director of the BBC Symphony Chorus, came in to The Chase in March to lead a workshop with the singers as part of the project.
Year 11 student Sam Johns said: “It was an amazing experience to sing with such a large number of other young people and to work with the professional artists.
“I especially enjoyed singing with the orchestra as it was totally unlike working with just a piano and really brought the music to life.”
