Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year 2006

[roger]

Hi Steve,

Huh, that's five of us who have heard nothing. Quiet around here, innit?

Roger

[drew]

Six.

Do you think that you might need an SW1 postcode to be acceptable?

[Richard]

Hello everybody!

I haven't applied for this event, but I suspect many tickets will have been allocated to the contestants' schools and churches. I'll settle for listening on the radio.

Good luck,

Richard

[Mark]

Hi everyone

Just to let you know that I received my tickets in this mornings post. Not being sure that we would get tickets, I hadnt made any arrangements to get in to London (travelling around London not being my strong point !) However, I have a few days to sort this out. I will keep my fingers crossed for those of you who applied.

Mark

[Steve H]

Hi Mark and everybody,

My tickets arrived today too!

good luck to all those that applied

Steve H

[postscript]

tinky3344 said:

Hi everyone

Just to let you know that I received my tickets in this mornings post. Not being sure that we would get tickets, I hadnt made any arrangements to get in to London (travelling around London not being my strong point !) However, I have a few days to sort this out. I will keep my fingers crossed for those of you who applied.

Mark

If you are driving, then M40, M25, M2. If you are using the train Richard is the fount of wisdom.

Peter S.

[Mark]

Hi Peter

I thought I may drive down the M40 to around just inside the M25 and then see if we could park up and get a train/tube in. I guess I will have to do some homework to see where would be an easy place to park, with a direct line that ends up close to Westmminster !!
Dont suppose you know of a good place by any chance ?

By the way, Stuart or Roger, do you know when the event is due to finish ? I couldnt see any reference to this on the BBC2 website.

Regards
Mark.

[roger]

Sorry Mark, I have no idea when it might finish. I can't believe it would be much longer than two hours which indicates we may get away by 7:30 or so. Of course, there could be a delay if the judges can't make up their minds so it's up to Hayley, really!

By the way, the Royal Mail have been busy overnight - my ticket arrived too.

Roger

[drew]

Honour for choir as duo aim for title

Brian Dooks

TWO singers from the same choir in North Yorkshire are competing in the BBC's Young Choristers of the Year final in Westminster Abbey on Saturday.
Emma Whiteley, 15, from Harrogate Ladies College, and William Dutton, 11, a pupil at St Aidan's Church of England High School, who sings in the choir at St Mark's Church in Harrogate, are among the four finalists chosen from hundreds of recorded entries.
They both sing with the award-winning Harrogate youth choir Verse and Chorus, which will launch its debut CD All Aboard at a concert in St Mark's Church on November 17.
The competition for the titles of Young Choirgirl and Young Choirboy of the Year 2006 will be broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on November 5, at 8pm. Previous winners include Katherine Jenkins.
Each singer has to perform two pieces – a hymn and a sacred song or anthem – in front of a panel of judges including the singer Hayley Westenra.
Emma is to sing Morning Has Broken and Son of Mary by Michael Diack, while William will sing Thine be the Glory and Pie Jesu from John Rutter's Requiem.
Verse and Chorus was founded in 2002 to meet the needs of young singers at secondary schools who wanted to develop their choral skills.
The choir, which is directed by David Darling, a former director of music at a Harrogate preparatory school, was extended last year to include a junior section with members aged seven to 11.
The concert by Verse and Chorus at St Mark's Church will feature the world premiere of a specially commissioned work, New Songs of Celebrations, by the internationally acclaimed composer Philip Stopford. Admission is free.
[e-mail]
25 October 2006

www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=1839898

Well done Post Office but I am surprised that they did not send tickets electronically, it would have saved the licence payers a few pennies!

PS
Yet another angelic CD on it's way for Christmas.
Do you think that Laura will bring a few copies of her's to review?

[Martin]

Mark
I suggest you park near Uxbridge station, catch the Metropolitan line to Finchley Road and then jump onto the Jubilee line through to Westiminster.
Regards
Martin

[Richard]

Hello Mark!

Alternatively, if you travel by train to Marylebone, take the Bakerloo Line one stop to Baker Street and change there for the Jubilee Line to Westminster. The Abbey is easy to find from the station, being diagonally across Parliament Square.

I hope everybody has a good time on Saturday, and I'll see most of you at Canterbury Cathedral on Friday.

Best Wishes,

Richard

[roger]

Stop Press!

There must be somebody here who wishes they applied for tickets but, for whatever reason didn't do so. If you are that person, this could be your lucky day!!

It seems that unbeknown to me, Dave ordered a pair, possibly with me in mind for one of them. Meanwhile, unbeknown to him, I also ordered a pair... but I wasn't going to give one to him. As it happens, we were both allocated our (un)required pair!

So, if anybody could put a pair of tickets for Westminster Abbey to good use, please say so here as soon as possible.

Thanks,
Roger

[Mark]

Hi all

Thanks for your help and suggestions, hopefully, we will get there ok. Looking forward to it and to catching up with some of you. For all those going to Canterbury, hope you have a great time !

Regards
Mark.

[postscript]

Sorry I didn't get back sooner, Mark.
Remember the parking charge!!!! For which reason I have not driven in London for so long i cannot advise on parking options, oneway streets or anything.

I have a friend coming over from the States shortly and I am wondering (as we take a day trip to Brighton where he has many memories) whether` to drive into London to collect him or get him to catch train to somewhere and pick hi from there..

Peter S.

[Martin]

Just a quick few comments on yesterday's incredible event but first of all an embarrassing apology.

I was sat with my wife about half way back although in only the second row of the unreserved seats and I have only just realized that I was sat behind the HWI contingent!!! Seeing Stuart's photo this morning on the Canterbury thread was the clue and I should have realized yesterday that the chap with the beard was of course Peter!

So sorry, had I realized at the time I would have introduced myself for the first time to the team. It won't happen next time! Furthermore my wife befriended the chap next to her who may well have also been part of the HWI group but again no name springs to mind but my wife did say that he had been to Canterbury the previous evening. Any ideas?

That said, back to the competition: I was truly amazed by the standard of the eight contestants (4 girls and 4 boys) who were not only under immense pressure from being in the final but also had to perform in Westminster Abbey in front of family, friends, supporters and the genral public..

Two contestants however did stand out; Emma Whitely and William Dutton (the latter being one of the most confident 11 year olds I have ever seen) and they went on to win the competition.

Hayley was a judge together with David Grant (Fame academy etc) , Jonathan Ansell (G4) and Professor Jon Harper (the chairman). Whilst the judges chose the winners we we entertained by All Angels.

Hayley was asked by the compere if she still felt nervous before a performance and she said "always" and then gave a few tips to the contestants to help reduce nerves. A nice touch.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience which is being broadcast on Sunday 5th Nov at 8pm on BBC Radio2.

We had to leave sharply at the end so I am unable to comment on Hayley's movements.

Best wishes to the HWI team who attended.

Martin