The Quiristers and Chapel Choir were joined by the Royal College of Music Chamber Orchestra to record the Classic FM Christmas Carol Concert, for broadcast on Sunday 20 December during the Charlotte Green Show, and also on Christmas Day after HM The Queen’ s Christmas Message.
The programme was filled with festive favourites and some rarely heard carols, interspersed with seasonal readings. Handel’ s Joy to the World began the programme with trumpets and timpani adding festive splendour to the sound in John Rutter’ s effective arrangement, and as the concert went on it was easy to forget that both choir and orchestra were composed of students and not professional musicians. It was a privilege for the Quiristers to partner with this group of young musicians.
Chapel Choir shone in a very moving performance of Eric Whitacre’ s Lux Aurumque, and the congregation made its contribution as well, managing not to get too carried away with O Come, All Ye Faithful. Tom Burkill, Luke Elkington, Angus Benton and Tristan Wigley were interviewed on the day for later inclusion in the broadcast.
The whole two hour transmission was clearly very well received: it is wonderful news that Chapel Choir have again been asked by Classic FM to record their 2016 Christmas Carol Concert.
Emma Elkington, Q Parent( yr 8)
Passion with the Quiristers and Stephen Layton Friday 12 February 2016
On Friday 12 February, instead of setting off home for half-term, the Quiristers climbed on to the Pilgrims’ bus and headed to London for their keenly-anticipated concert of Bach’ s St John Passion, at St John’ s, Smith Square. It was a concert they had been preparing since the beginning of the academic year, and one of the biggest they had ever undertaken. Conducted by Stephen Layton, himself a former Pilgrim and chorister, it was a joint venture between the Chapel choirs of Winchester and Eton, and the worldfamous orchestra, the Academy of Ancient Music.
The Bach St John Passion programme cover
The Qs all sang the difficult music with the sort of accomplishment and confidence that made it easy to forget they’ re schoolboys, and Angus Benton gave an immaculate performance of the beautiful solo aria Zerfliesse with nerves of steel in front of the capacity audience of nearly 600. It was an extremely
8