Choral Project for Young People

Gloucestershire Music Service, Making Music and the Cheltenham Bach Choir are joining forces with Gloucestershire schools to mount a singing project which will culminate in a concert performance at Cheltenham Town Hall at 7.30 on Saturday 19^th March 2005. 

The programme consists of African Sanctus by David Fanshawe and a new piece, Rainland, by Joseph Phibbs which was premiered by 1,000 school children last March at the Royal Albert Hall.   Rainland is a hugely exciting, challenging and dramatic piece written especially for upper voices, adult voices and symphonic wind band.

The performance will be conducted by Stephen Jackson, chorus director of the BBC Symphony Chorus and conductor of the Cheltenham Bach Choir and will include over 100 young people, 100 members of the Cheltenham Bach Choir and 60 piece Bath Spa University College Wind Band. 

Vocal animateurs, Jason Thornton and Kirsty Carter will work with schools throughout the Spring Term providing a series of free singing workshops to the schools taking part.

This project is designed to

• Support the singing work already being carried out in schools
• Encourage pupils to join in a singing project for the first time
• Give participants the thrill of taking part in a large collaborative piece
• Raise the profile of singing across the county
• Encourage new partnerships between schools and community groups

This is an exciting opportunity. We know from recent collaborative projects in big venues that this is the sort of experience which young people never forget.  This is a chance to perform large-scale, high quality pieces with a diverse range of musicians of all ages.

For further information contact:

Kirsty Carter
Vocal Strategy Co-ordinator
Gloucestershire Music Service
Tel: 01285 650658