On Wednesday 6 March, Years 5 and 6 Upper Chamber Choir travelled to Cadogan Hall, a concert hall in London, to experience what was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many of us: performing with professional choirs, and professional accompanists, in front of a public audience. The concert was called EM[POWER] and was to celebrate International Women’s Day.
We had been preparing our piece, ‘Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo’, since October. This follows the story of Nujeen, a brave young woman who, despite being stuck in her wheelchair, managed to escape the war in Syria. She now lives in Germany but inspires young people across the world.
In January, we attended an inspiring workshop with the composer, Cecilia McDowall, and our amazing conductor, Erin Freeman. On Tuesday 5 March, we had a dress rehearsal, in which we were also told we would be performing a whole new piece called ‘What Happens When a Woman Takes Power’ by Alexandra Olsavsky. This also included body percussion – it was quite a challenge to co-ordinate!
We were buzzing with excitement and nerves as we watched the other choirs, The Amies Freedom Choir, The Queen’s Six and finally, along with Vox Anima London Singers, it was our turn to perform. We enjoyed every moment of it, and we think the audience (which included three of the composers) loved it too, and we even did an encore! We would like to thank Mrs Christophers for teaching us the music and organising our participation in the concert – it was such an amazing experience that we will never forget!
Corinna ( Y6 Journalist)
Music is an integral part of our co-curricular programme at Surbiton High Girls’ Preparatory School. Learn more about what is on offer, in addition to the many other varied co-curricular clubs here.
