New London Children's Choir
The New London Children's Choir is a children's choir which rehearses at Highgate Primary School in North London, giving singing opportunities to members aged seven to eighteen. Members live in London and surrounding areas. It was founded in 1991 by Artistic Director Ronald Corp. As well as performing its own concerts, the choir has sung with orchestras and ensembles in many concert halls and opera houses worldwide and features on several film and TV soundtracks and CDs.
History and organization
The choir was launched by its musical director Ronald Corp in 1991 with the aim of introducing children to the challenges and fun of singing and performing all types of music. It holds its own concerts at the end of the Christmas and Summer terms, and also runs a residential Summer School during the holidays at a school in Berkshire. The choir has appeared in major London concert halls working with symphony orchestras as well as in major festivals and concerts across the UK and abroad. It has performed frequently at the Proms, made a number of film soundtrack and TV recordings, including the soundtrack to Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and been engaged for concerts and recordings with all the major London orchestras and opera companies such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and sing onstage at the English National Opera.
The choir is organised into three groups: Training Choir (for children aged 7–10), Senior Choir (for children aged 11–18; this element is the main performing auditioned choir) and Youth Choir (ages 14+ mixed SATB voices).
Performances
Recent highlights of the choir include:
- Royal Opening of St Pancras International station with Katherine Jenkins in the presence of HM Queen
- Winner of Best Opera Recording at the Grammys 2008 for Engelbert Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel- CHANDOS Label, Charles Mackerras/ Philharmonia
- Lou Reed Berlin Tour Europe 2007 and Summer 2008
- Falklands 25th Memorial Concert at Southwark Cathedral
- Damon Albarn Plague Songs concert at the Barbican November 2007
- John Adams' On the Transmigration of Souls - Barbican 2007 with London Symphony Orchestra and Choir
- Blue Peter Prom 2007 Royal Albert Hall with Connie Fisher
- Aldeburgh Festival 2007
- Soundtrack for BBC documentary on footballer Walter Tull
- World premiere of Martynov's La Vita Nuova with the London Philharmonic Orchestra [1]
- Barbican Centre's Twisted Christmas 2008
- Sass & Bide Shine Collective charity event
- Carmina Burana with the Various Voices Festival Chorus 2009
Other highlights include:
Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at The Royal Albert Hall, The Queen's 80th Birthday Prom, Mahler's Symphony of 1000 at The Royal Albert Hall/Birmingham Symphony Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Blackford's Voices of Exile at the Barbican, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel at the Barbican, Tan Dun A World Symphony for the Millennium (Albert Hall), yearly appearances at the BBC Proms, The Magic Pot- Lorin Maazel 70th Birthday Celebration at the Barbican.
The choir has performed in Italy (RAI Television), France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and made its US debut in 2003 at the Lincoln Center, New York.
Recordings
The choir has appeared on a number of CDs in collaboration with other artists, as well as releasing discs of their own. Some of these include:
| Composer/Artist | Title | Label | Distribution no. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Britten | A Ceremony of carols; Friday Afternoons & Three Two part Songs | Naxos | 8.553183 |
| Betty Roe | Family Tree | Somm | CD209 |
| New London Children's Choir | Pigs Could Fly | Naxos | |
| Kindred Spirits | Kindred Spirits | EMI Classics (2007) | 509950974726 |
| Charlotte Church | Dream a Dream | Sony CB | 811CDKCF |
| Russell Watson | Outside In | 2007 |
The choir has recorded for various feature films and collaborated with artists including: Tarzan, A Little Princess, The Seed of Chucky, Roberto Alagna, Charlotte Church, Russell Watson, Fat Les, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Katherine Jenkins, Lemar, Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, and Lou Reed
The choir has a special commitment to commissioning and has premiered over forty new works by composers such as Diana Burrell, Simon Bainbridge, Howard Skempton, Philip Cashian, Patrick Nunn, Richard Causton, Tansy Davies, John Woolrich, Michael Nyman, Gary Carpenter and Morgan Hayes. It has performed the premieres of dozens of further works.
Patronage
The choir's patrons include Louis Andriessen, Oliver Knussen CBE, and Michael Nyman.