Chester Cathedral Choir

Olivia Hunt writes

“I woke up on Thursday 22nd so excited! In just over 3 hours I would be in London for the final of BBC Chorister of the Year 2009!

I went down to London on the train with my mum and when we arrived we dropped our bags off at our hotel then had to walk all the way to Oxford Street to find food (me with my broken ankle!)

On the day of the competition I woke up with a mixture of nerves and excitement. I got to Saint Paul’s at 9.15am and after meeting everyone and chatting to them all about themselves, it was time to rehearse. We went in the order that we would be performing (meaning that I went on 3rd out of 4) . After a quick break we practiced the winners’ duet (The Lord Bless You and Keep You – John Rutter) and then we got to meet the man himself – Aled Jones!! We had lunch, but we were all so nervous that none of us could eat!  After lunch we did a full run-through to check sound and balance, but then we had to wait an agonising 2 hours until the actual competition!

When it was finally time to go on, I was so nervous! As we stood there in the wings waiting to go on we all wished each other good luck and said how amazing everyone was (they all were!)

I walked out into the middle and was stood in front of a nave packed full of almost 2000 people! – Eeek!!

I could see the smiley faces of Mr Rushforth and Mr Hartwell-Jones wishing me good luck, but the waiting was still horrible and it just added to the nerves. When it was time for me to get up and sing it was amazing – I only had a slight limp. Looking down the nave of the huge cathedral was a little daunting (to say the least!) but once I got into the pieces it was fine and the nerves went away.

Once I’d finished singing, there was nothing left to do but wait for the judges’ decision. The judges took so long to decide that Only Men Aloud (winners of Last Choir Standing 2008) had to sing another piece!

It was the moment of truth. I was sat next to Jacquelyne Hill (the girl who won) who was the other half of the final two with me. We were both so nervous that we didn’t hear who’s name Aled said – she though it was me and I thought it was her!

After she’d sung the winners’ duet with Laurence Kilsby (The Boy Chorister of the Year) I went to see a very happy Mr Hartwell-Jones and Mr Rushforth (I even thought I saw a tear in his eye at one point!). The after party was amazing and I talked to loads of people including Simon Lole (the composer) and Carrie Grant (vocal coach, singer and judge of Chorister of the Year).

I made so many new friends, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life – I will cherish the memories for ever.”

View feature in the Chester Chronicle

Emily Burnett, Head Chorister writes

“With a 5am start, sleepy eyed choristers clambered onto the coach which was taking us on our journey through the Eurotunnel. We were greeted by our two bus drivers, Andy and Dave, who were the funniest bus drivers we had ever come across. With the songs and chants they taught us, such as ‘This is the song that never ends,’ the time soon flew by and we arrived at our first hotel twelve hours later. Our evening meal consisted of many Belgium favourites and a much needed drink for the adults. One sip and they soon discovered just how strong the beer was in Belgium!
The following day we were taken by our courier, Helen, to explore Bruges. We visited a museum called Choco-Story which told us about the history of chocolate which many of us tasted and purcahsed some of the world famous Belgium chocolate – it did not disappoint! The canals that weaved through the city were lovely and the first cathedral we sang in was Saint Salvator’s. We were received by a fabulous audience and the concert was a great success. A couple of amazing organ solos from Assistant Director, Mr Roberts, gave us a rest and Olivia Hunt, Leader Chorister, gave a wonderful solo in Vox Dicentis by Edward Naylor.

On day three we travelled for four hours from Diksmuide to Paris for our second concert at La Madeleine. From the outside the church looked like a Greek temple. It was vast and had large columns all the way round. Inside there were no windows but the acoustic was glorious. There was something special about the atmosphere here and the space was wonderful to sing in. The leader choristers sang a quartet, Ave Maria by the French composer Saint-Saëns (who had been organist there) and Emily Burnett sang a notable solo during Roger Ducasse’s Crux Fidelis. Later that evening we went on a boat trip along the river Seine. The beautifully lit “Tour d’Eiffel” captured everyone’s attention. After half an hour of waiting to cast off, we changed boats as ours had broken down! We cruised past Notre Dame cathedral and saw much of Paris’ stately architecture. After dinner we departed for our second hotel.

The next morning brought much excitement from all the choristers as the plan was to visit Disneyland. After Mr Rushforth’s stern words about not spoiling our voices, we set off, filled with the buzz that only Disney magic can bring! With the variety of adrenaline fuelled rides, the park was to everyones taste, apart from one of the adults, who was reportedly heard to say, upon departing the Tower of Terror, “I felt like my organs were going to come out of my mouth!”

After a busy few days, the last day loomed, along with the final concert in St Sévérin’s Church. Following the concert, we had Flams, a traditional French pizza. With thank you gifts and cards bought and signed we departed with heavy hearts but fond memories of a wonderful tour of Paris and Bruges.”

Having returned from the Paris/Bruges tour which took place over the October half term, the choir are new revitalised and refreshed ready to take on the music of the festive season.

Read more about the different perspectives on the tour from a lay clerk and from the head chorister and listen to the podcast attached to this post by clicking the play button.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS DURING ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS

Sunday 29th November, 2009 at 6:30pm

Candlelight Procession and music for advent by Byrd, Palestrina, Stanford, Wise and Ledger.

Wednesday 23rd December, 2009 at 6:00 pm

Nine Lessons and Carols service sung by the Cathedral Choir

Thursday 24th December, 2009 at 3:00pm

Nine Lessons and Carols service sung by the Cathedral Choir