St Paul’s date for school choir.
One of Britain’s leading choral composers looked on as Solihull School’s choristers sang a new work that he had written for them at St Paul’s Cathedral.
The Solihull Service was composed by Ben Parry, the new Director of the National Youth Choirs of Great Britain and famed for his works for the BBC Proms Series and for conducting the soundtracks for the Harry Potter films.
The 50 gowned boys and girls of the Solihull Chamber Choir sang the work, consisting of a Magnificat and a Nunc Dimittis, during Choral Evensong in the great cathedral after premiering it in Solihull School Chapel the day before. They were conducted by the School’s Head of Choral Music, Oliver Walker and its former choirmaster Peter Irving played the cathedral organ.
The choristers from the independent school in Warwick Road were invited back to sing at St Paul’s after making an impressive debut there last year on the same day that Justin Welby was confirmed as the Primate of All England.
Ben Parry was commissioned to write The Solihull Service through his association with Oliver Walker. The pair work together on Eton Choral Courses for promising young singers each summer. He explained that he took as the inspiration for his Canticles thoughts of a young girl delirious with excitement, as well as the sage old Simeon walking slowly from the Temple, after seeing the young Jesus. “It was so exciting to hear Solihull School’s Chamber Choir sing my new Canticles in the wonderful acoustic of St Paul’s. Congratulations must go to the singers and conductor for preparing the piece so well, and to the excellently dexterous organist! I hope the choir enjoyed singing my music – it was a huge honour to write something so important for them.”