King’s Pupils Shine at the Historic Three Choirs Festival

The Three Choirs Festival is the longest-running music festival in the world alternating between the cities of Hereford, Gloucester and, this year, Worcester. Many events took place on the school site such as talks in the Boathouse and dinners in the Dining Hall. A large marquee was the social hub of the festival on College Green and the Cathedral and College Hall were venues for many of the concerts. Our choristers play a key role in the festival, singing at services and concerts including a live broadcast on BBC Radio 3.

On the 6^th day of the festival, it was the turn of more pupils from King’s to participate in two concerts. Earlier in the year King’s and the Three Choirs Festival worked together in partnership with primary schools from the city to put on a concert in the Cathedral featuring 200 children singing songs about nature. The daytime concert was a reprise of this event featuring performances from the Lower Years Choir and King’s St Alban’s Chamber Choir. Our pupils attend services in the Cathedral regularly but they were amazed at the different set-up during the festival with a professionally-designed stage, platform and tiered seating. A community choir of adults, who had come together just for this concert, had been rehearsed by Director of Music, Simon Taranczuk, throughout July.  The concert also featured an orchestra of community players alongside members of The Philharmonia. Music Scholar, Rosie B, was selected as one of the soloists for a performance of Vivalidi’s The Four Seasons.  Rosie is an experienced performer and her confidence shone through on stage performing to an audience of 500.  It was a great celebration of music in the community and King’s was proud to play a major role in this concert.  Rosie leaves King’s to focus on her Musical Theatre studies and we wish her every success and thank her for her commitment to music throughout her time here.

The evening concert featured the combined three Cathedral Choirs in a programme of unaccompanied choral music. More King’s pupils participated through their membership of the Cathedral Voluntary Choir.  The soloist for this occasion was departing Upper Sixth Music Scholar Florence P. In the first half, Florence performed the solo line from Stanford’s The Blue Bird. It was an exquisite and atmospheric performance particularly as she was separated from the choir, performing high above them at the top of the staging, almost near the organ pipes!  In the second half, Florence was the soloist for Bob Chilcott’s Angry Planet Cantata and received rapturous applause at the end and congratulations from the composer himself.

Florence will shortly be taking up a Choral Scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge where she will be reading Music.  Florence has been a great ambassador for music at King’s and has been a role model for many of our younger singers. We wish her every success at university and beyond.