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:: Your Community :: Clubs, Societies and Organisations
Southend Girls' Choir The Southend Girls' Choir was founded in 1988 by its conductor and musical director, Roger Humphrey. The Choir consists of 100 girls aged 8 upwards, who live in Southend-on-Sea and the surrounding districts of Essex. The Southend Girls' Choir has a large and varied repertoire, including part songs, pop cantatas, spirituals, songs from stage, screen and operatic choruses.
The Choir frequently performs with orchestras in Gala concerts and has over the past years raised many thousand of pounds for charities.
In 1995, the Choir was delighted to learn that the internationally acclaimed choral conductor, Sir David Willcocks, had agreed to become the Choir's President, which was a great honour for the Choir.
In that same year the Choir toured Germany and the Seychelles. In 1994 and 1996 the Choir hosted members of the Adelaide Girls' Choir, and in 1997 50 members took part in a tour of Scotland where they performed in Edinburgh, Callander and Dunblane. 1998 saw a three week tour of South East Australia, with visits to Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The Choir's performances included a recital in the world-famous Sydney Opera House.
Also in 1998, to celebrate the Choir's 10th anniversary, the young British composer Bob Chilcott was commissioned to write a work for The Southend Girls' Choir.This piece, entitled "Laugh Kookaburra", was toured across Australia that summer.
In 1999 the Choir performed in Hereford Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey, in addition to a concert in The Three Choirs Fringe Festival in Worcester. In July 2000, some 50 members took part in a three week tour of Canada, including performances in Montreal and Quebec, Toronto, Ottawa and Niagara.
In December 1999 the Choir made a recording with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of Paul Joyce's work "The Snow Queen". In June 2000, senior members of the Choir joined with senior members of the Southend Boys' Choir to sing at the launch of the liner "Millennium" at Southampton Docks. The ship is the largest liner in the world!
The Girls’ Choir joined with the Southend Boys’ Choir to make a recording with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in 2000, and also made a commercial CD entitled Angelis – Voices of Angels, which received major coverage on national radio stations. Their second CD Angelis – A Christmas Blessing, was released in December 2003, and has also sold many copies around the country.
In 2003 the two Choirs performed American composer John Adams’ "On the Transmigration of Souls" at the internationally acclaimed BBC Proms Concert Series at the Royal Albert Hall, which was broadcast live on BBC TV and Radio. The Southend Girls' Choir also made a ten day concert tour in Italy and France, where they performed in St Mark’s Venice, Milan Cathedral, the American Cathedral in Paris and Disneyland.
In 2004 the Choirs gave concerts and performances for music clubs and festivals around the UK, including a lunchtime recital at St Martin in the Fields Church, and with the Boys' Choir made a two week concert tour to America, when they performed in New York, Boston, Cleveland, Chicago and Appleton. Their work also included a number of recording projects throughout the year.
Since then the Choirs have toured countries in Europe, US, and have performed in the BBC Proms Concerts singing for the Queen's Royal Prom for her 80th Birthday celebrations. In 2008 they made a 2 week concert tour to Australia and Singapore where they performed in the Sydney Opera House. Performances in 2009 include recitals at St Martin in the Fields, London, Royal Albert Hall concerts, and other engagements in major performance venues across the UK.
As a footnote, the Southend Girls' Choir holds the world record, as verified by The Guinness Book of Records, for performing a concert at the highest altitude in an aeroplane! On the Choir's return flight from Brisbane to Singapore, members gave a 45-minute recital at a height of 36,000 feet above the north coast of Australia, thus becoming the world record holders for such an event!
The Southend Girls' Choir is run in association with Southend Borough Council.
Forthcoming Concerts:
What people have said about the Southend Girls' Choir ….
For more information on the Southend Girls Choir, please contact: Musical Director - Southend Girls Choir Tel. 01702 215011 Attachments
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