Girls Chapel Choir
The Chapel Choir leads the Chapel services every Sunday evening during term time. With the introduction of girls into the Junior School and Thirds there have been girls in the choir for the first time. In my opinion, and the opinion of many others, this has been one hundred percent successful.
There are many parts in the choir, depending on your vocal pitch. Therefore the girls and boys practise separately, most of the time. When the choir started in September there were only thirteen girls. We started off learning how to chant and which line of music to follow. In a matter of weeks we were much more developed and structured; it was easy to see a vast improvement.
Christmas was a busy, important time for the whole choir. Personally the Nine Lessons and Carols service was one of my favourite services. There was so much music to learn, carols to practise and last minute descants to add. The Chapel was set up in a completely different form with the choir stalls in the centre and the congregation either side in “Collegiate” style, facing inwards. One of the things that really made the Chapel have a Christmas-like atmosphere was the darkness, with the exception of just a few candles. The Chapel was also filled with flowers and holly, adding to the perfect atmosphere.
Now, with almost double the amount of girls (25 as we complete the year), a choir practice is a friendlier environment to be part of. The choir now have opportunities to do more challenging music, splitting into more parts. The amount of girls (sopranos) is now even more than the treble section of the boys.
To sum it up, the bringing in of girls to the choir has been a triumph! The choir has drastically changed (for the better). As a whole, the choir have really enjoyed this year and have learned, and hopefully put into use, many useful, great things. Finally I would like to say, on behalf of the choir, farewell and best wishes for the future to Annabelle Harris, our Head Chorister and only UVIth member, and a big thank you to Miss Pamela Davies (choirmistress) and Mr. Peter Irving (choirmaster) for all their efforts towards the success of the choir.
Helen-Cara Younan IIIH