Chetham's Royal Visitor
Monday 20th July 2009
Chetham's School of Music welcomed a Royal Visitor to their End of Term Concert, Prince Edward to the Bridgewater Hall on Friday 3 July 2009.
David Hill was one of the first students to attend Chetham's
when it first launched as a specialist Music School 40 years ago. He
returned to Chets to celebrate the achievements of the school by
conducting the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the end of term concert
which marks the anniversary.
Conductor of The Bach Choir, London, the BBC Singers and recently appointed Associate Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, David is also a Governor of the School and was absolutely thrilled to beworking with our students on this special music course.
Before the event, David said:
"I am enormously excited by the prospect ofworking with the gifted students of Chetham's on Belshazzar's Feast.
Watching their faces as they sing and play this great music (for the
first time in their life) will be the greatest thrill - followed by the
realisation their performance will be hard on the heels of any other
offered in the musical profession!"
The programme featured works by William Walton, and Hannah Yip beautifully performed the solo in Benjamin Britten's Piano Concerto. The finale piece, Belshazzar's Feast was an overwhelming experience which saw the full orchestra performing with a combined chorus of over 200 voices from Chetham's Chorus, Chester Bach Singers and the Bach Choir singing the rapturous oratorio.
We were thrilled to welcome HRH The Earl of Wessex amongst the audience. As Royal Patron of Chetham's he has been extremely supportive of the school in recent years and we were delighted that he could join us for this special occasion. Students presented HRH with a card signed by members of the orchestra and also a gift from the school which was a framed facsimile of a page autographed by Walton, of the Belshazzar's Feast score, reproduced courtesy of the William Walton Trust, by kind permission of Lady Walton.
For many members of the Orchestra, this would have been their final music course and what a way to finish their studies at Chetham's! Well done to the whole orchestra and chorus for a great performance!
