Auditions underway to select members of Methodist College’s Chapel Choir who will sing at Coronation of King Charles
Auditions got underway this week to select the members of Methodist College’s Chapel Choir who will sing at the Coronation of King Charles.
A small number of girls from the choir at the Belfast school will join with ladies from the Truro Cathedral Choir for the service marking The Coronation of Their Majesties The King and The Queen Consort on Saturday, May 6.
Ruth McCartney, director of music at Methody, said: “We started auditions this week. It’s going to be difficult, there will be disappointments, but it has to be the right voice that will sit with the Westminster Abbey Choir."
She added: "We’re the only school choir chosen to participate. We’ll be over in London for nine days in rehearsals and we’ll have other rehearsals before that as well.
“I’m not sure if I’ll be in the Abbey but they’ll be right at the heart of it. They’ve to sing 18 pieces.”
The service will be sung by The Choir of Westminster Abbey and The Choir of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St James’s Palace, together with girl choristers from the Chapel Choir of Methodist College and from Truro Cathedral Choir. The Ascension Choir, a handpicked gospel choir will also perform as part of the Service and The King’s Scholars of Westminster School will proclaim the traditional ‘Vivat’ acclamations.
Ruth said: “We feel very honoured to be chosen to participate in this historic occasion. To perform in Westminster Abbey at the Coronation is a tremendous opportunity and something our singers will never forget. They will be fine ambassadors for Methody and for Northern Ireland.”
Methody Principal Jenny Lendrum said: “It is such a privilege for girls from our Chapel Choir to join the choirs of Westminster Abbey and HM Chapel Royal.
"It will be an amazing experience for them and a memory they will have for life. We look forward to hearing all about the preparations, listening to their rehearsals and seeing them perform in Westminster Abbey.”
The Chapel Choir is the busiest of five choirs in Methody, a grammar school of more than 1,800 pupils.
It concentrates mainly on liturgical music and has established a strong reputation through frequent radio and television broadcasts, for example the choir will provide the music for the morning service on Radio 4 on St Patrick’s Day and for this year’s Easter Sunday RTE TV morning service.
The choir has sung in various English Cathedrals and in 2016 returned to Westminster Abbey for its eleventh residency in recent years.
Under MBE recipient Ruth McCartney, the choir has been Songs of Praise Senior School Choir of the Year, UTV Grammar School Choir of the Year and RTE All Island School Choir of the Year.
The Choir has raised over £35,000 for Bowel Cancer NI by providing music for their annual Christmas concert in Stormont each year.
Royal photographer, Arthur Edwards, picked a performance of ‘Danny Boy’, as one of his Desert Island Discs choices, after hearing the choir singing it for the Queen at a concert in Dublin to celebrate her visit to the city.