Caius Choir at the South London Choral Award
In March 2024, The Choir of Gonville & Caius College attended the final of the ‘South London Choral award’, a new competition which grew out of outreach work in the college’s link areas.
The final of the South London Choral Award featured three primary and three secondary school choirs, who each performed two choral pieces. All choir members were rewarded for their performance with a medal, and the winning choirs from each category were given trophies. The winning choirs were: Deansfield Chamber Choir (primary) and St Ursula’s Convent School Choir (secondary).
The competition was judged by judged by Matthew Martin, Caius’ Director of Music, Jeremy Summerly, Caius’ Director of Studies in Music, and Nathan Mercieca (Music 2009), countertenor and musicologist. The Choir of Gonville & Caius College performed a selection of choral pieces whilst the judges were deliberating, conducted by Peter Walker Organ Scholar Eben Eyres (Music, 2023).
In the lead up to the South London Choral Award final, Caius music staff went into schools, to lead workshops on the music, having narrowed the field by a series of online auditions. Three schools from each category (primary and secondary) were selected to go forward into the final and Nathan and Jeremy enjoyed working with them on their songs. The children clearly enjoyed it too, judging by the reaction when they entered the hall for the final!
Matthew Martin says: “The commitment of the children from all the schools involved was palpable and infectious – and it was an inspiration to those of us who have the benefit of far greater musical resources. It was a truly humbling reminder of the incredible raw talent which is our duty to help foster and encourage. In the absence of any meaningful government support for music in state schools (a travesty), it is essential that we play our part in building relationships with as many schools as possible to help realise the kids’ potential and give them a chance to fulfil their dreams. This is the future of a significant part of the UK’s cultural life and we must do all we can to inspire and support.”
The judges: Jeremy Summerly, Matthew Martin and Nathan Mercecia
The evening was enjoyed by both school children and Caius choir members alike. Robert Henderson (Music, 2021) Senior Choral Scholar says: “It was a pleasure for the choir to attend the final. We were all genuinely impressed by the passion and musicality of the performances – they served as a powerful reminder that future generations, of choral singers or otherwise, will always be worthy of time and investment. To share our music with the children was a privilege, and we hope that our performance inspired them as their performances inspired us!”
The event was coordinated by Gwyneth Hamand, Caius’ London Outreach Officer, supported by the chapel and choir department and the school’s outreach and admissions team.