Choral creativity

Leading choral conductor David Lawrence came to The Leys to give a singing workshop which culminated in an “instant” evening concert at the school.

Mr Lawrence, who has worked with many choirs including the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and who has adjudicated the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year Competition, made the workshop an all-action affair. The many singers who took part were given energetic and precise warm-up exercises to complete before they set about learning the programme for the concert.

“I hope to convince them that it is a learning experience rather than a performance, to be excited by singing in a choir and what they can do with their voices,” said Mr Lawrence.

He helped the singers to prepare an ecletic programme of choral pieces ranging from the classical (Purcell, Rachmaninov) to contemporary pop (Coldplay, Sting). The results were enjoyed later that day by an audience of family and friends. The audience and choir divided into groups to sing six well-known songs simultaneously!

Rob Hall, Director of Music, said: “The Choral Day is a wonderful way to start the musical year and we were absolutely delighted to welcome such an eminent conductor as David Lawrence. His inspirational leadership enabled the pupils to learn a wide variety of pieces in such a short time and the high standard of the concert reflected the hard work and enthusiasm displayed by everyone throughout the afternoon.”