'Feeling Good' at Ardingly College

On Tuesday 13th October Ardingly hosted a highly successful Choral Day with the brilliant young a cappella groupVoces8. Almost 200 prep and primary school pupils from Ardingly and the local area took part, learning songs from gospel to Gershwin. The workshops culminated in a concert for parents, students and staff, with the combined choirs singing the Irish Blessing by Bob Chilcott plus some original pieces composed by the individual schools. Ardingly Year 8 pupil Lucy Colegrave described the whole day as, "Sublime. It was really good," while Charles Gough added "I liked the way they made it funny and enjoyable and at the same time we were learning how to sing better."  

Gerry Burgess, the choir director at St Peter’s, Ardingly said his pupils were equally enthusiastic about the experience: “Although they were youngest, our children responded so well to the excellent direction of the Voces8 members.  It was something so different and special for them, a real inspiration!”  

Voces8 first came to Ardingly in April, and such was the success of their performance that they were immediately invited back to open the 2009/10 Music @ Ardingly season. And what a great opening! The award-winning octet, founded in 2003 by ex-choristers from Westminster Abbey, performed ‘Feeling Good’ a brilliantly varied programme of early sacred music, madrigals and their own unique jazz and popular arrangements. The sacred repertoire included the haunting Agnus Dei from Byrd's Four Part Mass, Holst's Nunc Dimittis and Bruckner's Ave Maria. These were intermingled with toe-tapping versions of more modern classics such as Fever, Slap that Bass and Jailhouse Rock, all performed with great style and vocal control.

Highlights in the second half included Monteverdi’s Cantate Domino and a spine-tingling performance of the spiritual Steal Away, with Dingle Yandell’s superb bass voice soaring through the chapel. 

Barney Smith, one of the founder members of Voces8, said:  “It was a real pleasure to perform at Ardingly College again and thank you to a great audience. It was also inspirational to work with such enthusiastic choirs and wonderful to have so many talented children from Ardingly and the other schools taking part.”

The second Music @ Ardingly concert will be a performance by the London Philharmonic Orchestra Chamber Ensemble on Friday 13th November which includes the talented LPO cellist and old Ardinian, Pavlos Carvalho. Works to be performed include the Brahms and Schumann Piano Quintets.  Contact  the Music School,  893271 or Music@Ardingly.com to be sure to get tickets.