St Martin’s Ampleforth Prep School through to semi-finals of Choir Of The Year competition (From York Press)

St Martin’s Ampleforth Prep School through to semi-finals of Choir Of The Year competition

7:50am Thursday 19th November 2009 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
• Comments(0)

DOZENS of North Yorkshire choristers are only one step away from featuring on one of Britain’s longest running television shows.

The 50-strong St Martin’s Ampleforth Prep School choir has reached the penultimate round of the BBC Songs of Praise 2010 School Choir Of The Year competition. The choristers, who are aged between eight and 13, are preparing to challenge for the chance to perform at the televised final in March in The Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

Lynn Harrison, spokeswoman for the school, said the children recorded a CD featuring two hymns for the Songs of Praise production team and were selected as one of eight schools for the second round.

The two hymns the children are singing in the next round are O Worship The King and On Eagles’ Wings.

The choir, which regularly performs at Mass at Ampleforth Abbey Church, will be the youngest in the senior section of the competition, which will include a number of sixth-form student groups.

The second round audition takes the form of a filmed performance of the choir, which will then be viewed by a panel of judges.

Headmaster Nicholas Higham said: “It is a huge compliment to all associated with the school choir, not least the pupils, that their commitment, dedication and talent has the opportunity to be appreciated and recognised at a national level.”

The filming of the second round audition is taking place on December 1, at Ampleforth Abbey Church.