Posted on 1 March 2011
A special version of this year’s Festival of Saint Cecilia Anthem was premiered on Monday 28 February at Birmingham Town Hall at a workshop with the composer and local schoolchildren.
Thanks to the Chorister Outreach Programme (COP), pupils from schools in Lichfield were treated to a singing workshop with anthem composer Ron Corp, before performing the very first rendition of the piece. The anthem is a setting in Latin of Psalm 150 Laudate Dominum, which is a particularly appropriate choice for the Fund’s 90th year due to the many references it contains to musical instruments.
An initiative has been launched this year to promote the Festival anthem across the UK to cathedrals, parish churches, faith schools and organisations. The Fund has collaborated with the Choir Schools’ Association and Sing Up, the National Singing Programme, to produce a new booklet entitled Sing a New Song. This resource, published by Faber Music, contains some inspiring and challenging pieces written specially for young voices and adult singers, including Laudate Dominum, and also provides teachers and pupils with performance tips.
Welcoming the publication of Sing a New Song, Elizabeth Cairncross, Head Teacher of Wells Cathedral School and Chair of the Choir Schools’ Association comments: “The Classics are enjoying a huge revival thanks in part to a host of well-known figures including Boris Johnson, Ian Hislop, Joanna Lumley and Bettany Hughes.” Cathy Lamb, Director of Music at Lichfield Cathedral and a contributor to Sing a New Song, agrees with this saying, “Latin is a great language to sing in and the children love it.”
David Sulkin, Chief Executive of the Musicians Benevolent Fund notes that: “The life of a professional musician begins early – for a chorister as young as 8 – and this exciting new work will challenge their peers to raise their game. We are delighted to be part of this.”
The full version of Ron Corp’s anthem, which has been written in several versions so it can be sung according to the skill of the choir, will be premiered at the Festival of Saint Cecilia on 23 November at Westminster Cathedral.
You can listen to a preview recording of Laudate Dominum on the Festival of Saint Cecilia page.
For more information on Sing Up please visit the Sing Up official website.