The young singers from over 50 UK choirs – formed through AC Academy’s Choir Creations scheme – will perform songs from around the world. They will be accompanied on stage by internationally renowned musicians from London’s West End and joined for a special guest appearance by BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing stars Kevin and Karen Clifton at whose wedding members of AC Academy choirs sang last year. Professional lighting designers will add their magic to the occasion which will be a spectacular showcase to celebrate the children’s hard work and provide a lasting memory of their achievements.

In a unique special needs programme, William Carslake will work with children from Ridgeway School Warwick and Avenue School Reading with a range of disabilities and special educational needs to create and perform a brand new song on stage as part of the concert. This will be arranged by Patrick Stockbridge for the West End Band, with backing vocals for the 2000 children and a special part for the thousands of audience members to join in.

AC Academy is the music education programme of Warwick-based Armonico Consort which develops and supports choirs and choir leaders through its in-school Choir Creations scheme and out-of-school AC Academy Choirs. The celebration is a landmark point in its mission to create 300 new children’s choirs and 300 choir leaders by 2020, providing a singing legacy across the UK, with over 100 being created to date.

The concert is sponsored by Phillips 66, long-term supporters of AC Academy’s work. Phillips 66 is best known for its 320+ independently owned JET forecourts in the UK. Mary Wolf, Managing Director, UK & Ireland Marketing for Phillips 66, comments: “This is a really exciting event for us to be involved in. The schoolchildren will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to perform at a professional, world-class musical event, which aims to break down social barriers and stigma, encourage inclusion and build confidence and self-esteem. Music plays such a vital role in children’s development, particularly in children with special needs, so we can’t praise the work that Armonico Consort does highly enough.”

Christopher Monks, Artistic Director of Armonico Consort said: “The Royal Albert Hall gala aims to set 2000 hearts alight through the life-enhancing powers of performance and commitment as well as to thank those schools who have joined the Choir Creations project and kept their choirs going on a regular basis. I am particularly proud of the completely individual special needs project – no-one has tried this before but our pilot project last year showed it can work. It will be a world first and a superb way to mark the midway point in our Choir Creations project by hearing a piece created by these incredibly special, talented and creative young people who are so often dismissed and excluded by life.”