As we welcome the choir back from its summer break it seems a long time since 22nd June and the Junior Choir prom but it’s a good time to look back on their achievements during their year with Oliver Waterer, Junior Choir Director. We’ve seen them developing a new range of church music [three anthems featured in the course of the prom], joining in with the adult choir on occasion, and singing accompanied by the organ as well as the piano. Some of the choir are old hands, three were admitted as choristers only that morning during the Eucharist; the age range is wide – 8-16 – and all benefit from the musical training given them while they’re with us.
Of course we know them chiefly as singers of church music so it’s a particular joy to see what else they can do – from the range of instruments they play, [is there the makings of an orchestra here?] to the different types of singing they enjoy Composers such as Beethoven and Bach featured alongside Charles Strouse and folk songs. Each vocal was ably accompanied by Lee Ward, except for Isabella, who proved herself more than capable of filling the church with an astonishingly powerful voice for one so young, and without any accompaniment.
Seasoned performers like Joanna and Clementine, whose careers we have followed through the choir and the drama group, chose very different styles of pieces, each excellent in its way. Christina, also a long-standing member, picked an anonymous piece for violin. Anne Norman chose a delightful piano piece by Pam Wedgwood.
Singing seems to run in families – there were the Wilsons: Indiana, Tallulah and Xsavannah, playing clarinet, flute and violin respectively – what a talented family. And then there were Jack and James Groves on vocals and drums with an African folk song, and an extra piece from Jack about Red Riding Hood. Lily and William Andrews also chose to sing, William going with Schubert [An Silvia], Lily with Terry Gilleyson [The Bare Necessities]. Not to be outdone the Carringtons have a violinist [Olivia] and cellist [Bella].
And finally – something rather new – the choir has a Chaplain, Mother Sarah, who also plays an instrument [the bassoon] which she hasn’t [as far as I know] brought to church before. Come to that we’ve never heard Lee sing a solo in church, but the two of them got together to perform The Bassoon by Quenten Ashlyn, which gave the parents a chance to wipe away surreptitious tears and compose themselves for the finale – the full choir singing Harris’ Behold now, praise the Lord. And we did praise the Lord, for the gift of music, the gift of the children to sing and play it, and the gift of Hampstead Parish Church’s determination to maintain a strong musical tradition and pass it on to these youngsters.
Our thanks to all concerned but particularly, of course, to Oliver, who sadly has left us for pastures new, but leaves behind the fruits of his labours. We look forward to seeing how the choir develops over the coming year.
Junior Choir Prom
Judy East