GDST Choir of the Year
Our Junior School Chamber Choir has been crowned the Girls’ Day School Trust Young Choir of the Year at Cadogan Hall.
32 pupils from the Junior School Chamber Choir performed in the final of the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) Young Choir of the Year competition yesterday. The girls, aged 9 and 10, took to the stage in the prestigious surroundings of Cadogan Hall in central London, singing Remember Me (Rossetti/Chilcott) and A Spoonful of Sugar (Sherman/Sherman). Composer Bob Chilcott was even in the audience to enjoy the performance.
The final featured six choirs from across the GDST network of 23 schools and two academies, who all showed an exceptional calibre of singing. They performed in front of a panel of acclaimed judges including Anna Lapwood, Director of Music at Pembroke College, Cambridge, composer Anna Appleby, and Kevin Stannard, Director of Performance and Outreach at the University of Wolverhampton.
While the judges deliberated, the girls also took part in a massed choir to perform ‘This is Me’ from the hit musical ‘The Greatest Showman’.
Casper Christensen, Director of Junior School Music, said: “The standard of music and singing at South Hampstead is tremendous, with a sense of enjoyment to match. It was a joy to lead our chamber choir in such a prestigious, high-profile venue. I’m so proud of how the girls rose to the occasion, after putting in so much hard work, with a beautifully accomplished and deservedly winning performance.”
Emily in Year 6 said: “I love music at South Hampstead because Mr C makes it so much fun… and we’re always challenged by including things like three part harmony. It was nerve-wracking but exciting to sing on such a big stage and fantastic to perform alongside so many other amazing choirs.”
Imogen in Year 5 added: “It was an action-packed, fun-filled day. I was ecstatic when the result was announced. We all screamed until our voices were hoarse!”
The GDST Young Choir of the Year competition takes place every two years; South Hampstead last won the title in 2015.
Watch the video of their performance here.