Monday, August 9, 2004 15:25 GMT
D-Day 60 Choir |
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| Portsmouth
Youth Chamber Choir performing in Caen |
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30
students from schools in Portsmouth have played a unique role in the
commemorations of the 60th Anniversary of D-Day.
Read their online diaries |
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Portsmouth
Youth Chamber Choir was formed at the end of last year to allow the
city's younger generation to play an integral part of the D-Day 60
commemorations.
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| Last
minute rehearsals |
The 30-strong
choir are all aged from 12 to 18. they were handpicked from the cream
of musical talent from secondary schools in Portsmouth.
The main requirement was that they enjoyed singing and wanted to become
part of a very special event.
The Head
of Portsmouth Music service Andrew Atkins said: "Given the emotive
nature of music, young people coming together to sing was a very fitting
commemorative way of doing it."
They travelled to Normandy to take part in the D-Day 60 celebrations
over the weekend, joining the boys and men from Portsmouth Cathedral
Choir and French choirs to sing in the atmospheric 12th century Abbaye
aux Hommes in Caen on Sunday 6th June.
As they prepared for the performance, the choir members reflected
on the reason they were there: "It feels quite amazing to know
that so many people risked their lives 60 years ago and we're able
to help people commemorate the event now."
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| The
audience in Caen |
They performed
the Faure Requiem and a new piece of choral music (working title 'A
Soldier's Tale') commissioned by the two cities of Portsmouth and
Caen.
It was specially written by British composer Harvey Brough to commemorate
D-Day 60 and was warmly receive by the large audience of British and
French dignitaries.
In the run up to their D-Day Anniversary performance, choir members
have been writing their online diaries:
Scott
Bullivant,
16
Monday,
9th August 2004 14:30 |
Well
France is over and it was great fun and a great experience.
As soon as we got there we knew the week wasn't all fun and
that we would have to work hard to get this concert done.
The day before we went to France we had a concert a rehearsal
with the Portsmouth Cathedral Choir which went really well and
I thought the sound was great and couldn't get any better, but
oh, was I wrong!
The night we arrived in France we had a rehearsal with all the
choirs and that was even better then the night before. Now it
wasn't all rehearsals - we got to go sight seeing round Cean
and that was great fun and everyone had there own stories to
tell. Then the Mozart players turn up and that rehearsal was
the best so far.
It was hard work because the rehearsals were 3 hours long and
it was very tiring. The concert was great everything went really
well. I had to come back a day early with 6 others and we all
had a GCSE the next day. The whole trip was great fun. I enjoyed
it and I think everyone else did too.
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Scott
Bullivant,
16
Saturday,
May 29, 2004 15:50 |
Since
I wrote my last entry, the choir have done a few more things.
At one of our rehearsals we had Harvey Brough come to help us
with his new piece Valle in Pace, which means 'farewell in peace'.
Some of the choir have also been on Radio Solent to talk to
some of the veterans and to tell them what we have been doing.
Recently we did a recording for Radio 2's Sunday Half Hour which
will be broadcast on D-Day - that involved singing at the Catholic
Cathedral and doing an interview with Roger Royal which was
really fun.
Everyone's getting a bit excited because we have under a week
till we go to France and it should be loads of fun while we
are out there. So I guess the next time I write will be when
we are back from France. Hope you enjoyed reading my entry and
I hope you will commemorate D-Day in some way wherever you are.
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Scott
Bullivant,
16
Friday,
April 23, 2004 12:05 |
Hi
I’m Scott and I’m one of the basses (very low voice) from the
PYCC (Portsmouth Youth Chamber Choir).
'What’s the PYCC?' I hear you ask well it’s the newly formed
choir that is based in Portsmouth and will be going to France
to sing in the D-day celebrations. It has 30 members in it that
at the beginning of this project were just put together and
we are now good friends.
I got involved through my school. My music teacher told me about
it and I thought it would be a good opportunity and decided
to join. I did have to pass an audition but as there were only
two basses, I had a very good chance. The plan is that the day
before the choir head off to France we will be performing in
front of Southwick House.
The launch was a great experience if not a bit tiring but it
was great to have been on TV, radio and in the paper all in
one day with a concert, which was the official launch. We had
already done a number of concerts so we were used to doing them.
The rehearsals are going really well with our singing abilities
coming on leaps and jumps. That’s all for now but I hope you
enjoyed reading my entry. |
Clare
Partridge, 13
Friday,
April 23, 2004 9:45 |
My
name is Clare Partridge and I am going to be a part of the D-Day
event in France in June. I am going to be a member of The Portsmouth
Chamber Choir. I took an audition for this last year. We have
done a number of concerts previously to promote our choir and
learn about the D-Day event in June.
Since I have joined the choir I have learnt certain facts about
D-Day which I never knew before. I have enjoyed learning about
this very much. Here is a little something I have learnt:
On the morning of 6th June 1944, Allied troops began landing
on the beaches of Normandy in France. So began the greatest
seaborne invasion in history, and with it the eventual liberation
of Europe and the end of the Second World War.
The best thing about being in the Portsmouth Chamber Choir is
having the experience of doing all the concerts and performances
on stage. And most of all learning about the historical event
D-Day and also being proud knowing in the years to come we were
part of an historical moment for the 60th Anniversary of D-Day.
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