Children from Ark White City, Flora Gardens and Wilberforce schools will join The Bach Choir to give the first-ever performance of a newly commissioned work inspired by the endangered Common Swift at the Great Hall, Kensington, on 17 June.
The work was commissioned for The Bach Choir’s Vocalise! community engagement programme. The aim of this programme is to share the joy of singing in classrooms at schools where opportunities for regular group singing and performance are limited. Programmes like Vocalise! are needed now more than ever to plug the gaps in government education funding – a recent Classic FM study revealed that 93% of state school children are excluded from arts education due to funding shortages. Music education isn’t only important for those who want to pursue music as a career – it has been proven that a quality music education improves children’s focus, wellbeing and social skills.
In the Vocalise! programme, singers from The Bach Choir volunteer their time to sing in every Vocalise! session throughout the school year. During the in-classroom sessions, the children learn new songs, develop new skills, build confidence and have a lot of fun along the way. They’re run by professional workshop facilitators and pianists which are funded by The Bach Choir. So far, The Bach Choir has sung with over 5,000 children since 2017, when the Vocalise! programme started.
Stephanie Jayne Amies’ new work, The Swifts of Summer, was commissioned by The Bach Choir as part of their 150th anniversary celebrations. Premiering music is something The Bach Choir is known for – it was formed to give the UK premiere of Bach’s B minor Mass back in 1876. Amies’ new work details the life cycle of the Common Swift, a fascinating bird which was recently red-listed in the UK after a 60% drop in population over the last 25 years. Here’s what Stephanie had to say about the upcoming premiere:
“I don’t think I can actually describe in words how excited I am for the premiere of this piece! After seeing the premiere, I hope that the schoolchildren, The Bach Choir and the audience are inspired to look up and think about the natural world.”
The concert will be conducted by The Bach Choir’s Grammy-winning Musical Director David Hill, who commented:
“The Bach Choir’s Vocalise! programme is a crucial part of our mission to inspire singers of all generations. Performing a new premiere with the children is the perfect way for The Bach Choir to celebrate its 150th anniversary. I know that The Bach Choir and the children are enormously excited about performing Stephanie’s piece, and I am too.”
