Cathedral Choirs Hit the Right Notes

Portsmouth Cathedral choirs have recently finished some very special recordings.

The first was a joint collaboration with Portsmouth City Council, Portsmouth's D-Day Museum and local choirs. The CD, which is available to buy from the Cathedral, is music dedicated to remembrance and hope, and all profits from the sale of the CD will be donated to ongoing  development work at the D-Day Museum.

The second CD recorded was The Ascension album. This is an independent collaboration between 26 year old composer James Dunlop and the Portsmouth Cathedral Choir. This 18 month project is James' debut album and has been funded by the Arts Council England and a crowd funding campaign.

The album features 12 tracks of new contemporary choral music, and Northumbrian Smallpipe performer, Alice Burn, finalist in the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, performs as a soloist with the choir. It features works set to religious text as well as modern contemporary pieces of a melodic, thematic nature.

Ascension has been released with all major digital music stores and streaming services.

New Release from Young Composers

Young composers from Portsmouth based Urban Vocal Group have released a new song about love, pain and friendship.

The original piece called Heal was written in March 2015, and although the composers Livvy and Faye were only 15 and 16 years old respectively at the time of writing, they have produced a song that elegantly captures the road to recovery after a time of painful emotion.

Charlie Fletcher, Director of the Urban Vocal Group said: "Livvy and Faye worked on a beautiful original song together and we are very proud to announce that today it has been released on iTunes and other digital platforms. What an achievement for them and for all of us at The UVG."

Heal is available at the following links (copy and paste into your browser):

Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01APC1M0E

Google play - https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Livvy_Faye_Heal?id=Byucgdrqlvd476raf6fq3764nq4

Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/album/78C8syz3ySpmiM6aqZonNB

iTunes - https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/heal-single/id1073908393

Sir Scallywag and the Battle for Stinky Bottom

Doughnuts and Baked Beans were on everyone's lips on Monday 18 January, as more than 700 children from schools across Portsmouth came together to sing, dance and enjoy a performance of Sir Scallywag and the Battle for Stinky Bottom at Portsmouth's Guildhall.

The concert, organised by Portsmouth Cultural Trust, Jumpstart and Portsmouth Music Hub, was based on the popular book written by Giles Andreae. It follows six year old Sir Scallywag's quest to find a golden sausage that will make him live forever.

On stage the group Ensemble 360 played music while narrator Polly Ives read the story and sang songs. She was joined by hundreds of children who had been practicing songs and movements in the weeks leading up to the concert.

Sue Beckett, Chief Executive of Portsmouth Music Hub said: "Today has been a great way to engage children and introduce them to professional musicians. It's been about combining literacy with music and fun. But it's not just a one-off experience; the children learn about the book beforehand and will follow it up afterwards."

The children, aged between five and seven, seemed to enjoy every moment of Sir Scallywag's adventures, getting involved with all the songs, including Swamp Troll Boogie Woogie and the unforgettable Doughnuts and Baked Beans.

Last Days of Choir

For the past eight years, the Nash family have made Portsmouth their home. Music and the Portsmouth Cathedral Choir have been a part of the rhythm of life for brothers, and choristers, Oliver and Ben. This past Christmas, Oliver Nash completed his tenure as Head Chorister with the Portsmouth Cathedral Choir, and reflected on over seven years of his life as a chorister. His father Phil, a Commander in the Royal Navy based in Portsmouth, also wrote about watching his sons growing up and what the Portsmouth Cathedral Choir has meant to their family.

"Seven years I have been a chorister. Hundreds of morning rehearsals, services – evensongs and eucharists – weddings, funerals and tours. The Portsmouth Cathedral Choir has been half my life, literally, and it seemed sad to bring so many experiences to a close. My last days as Head Chorister were spent singing in the Alpe d’Huez. I have sung at St Paul’s, Westminster Abbey, Menin Gate and many other locations, but singing carols in my now-not-so-angelic-voice in the snow and attached to skis will remain one of my fondest memories of my time in choir, if not my life. The opportunities and knowledge earned from everything I had been presented with will remain priceless to me." Oliver Nash

“Children aren’t colouring books. You don’t get to fill them in with your favourite colours.” Those words, written by Khaled Hosseini, have often come back to me in the years since my eldest son, then aged seven, declared that he was going to be a chorister in Portsmouth Cathedral Choir. During those daydream moments that we all have in which we plan out our children’s lives I had not counted life as a chorister amongst the options. But now on Christmas Day, nearly eight years later, and having just watched that same boy finishing his spell as Head Chorister and therefore leaving the choir forever, I could not have imagined a more fulfilling way for my boys to spend their time. My retired Head Chorister is getting to grips with life after the choir and whilst the commitment has gone, the legacy is musicality, whether expressed through formal piano lessons or when trying to decipher an Ed Sheeran song from YouTube and repeating it on a guitar. So, this chorister chapter of our lives has given us much more than we had anticipated. Indeed, whilst I was deployed overseas with the Armed Forces last year I found myself sat in a café in the sunshine, dialled into WiFi in order to listen to my Head Chorister not only sing but also read a speech on Radio 4 as part of the national service to commemorate the 75th anniversary of D-Day. So there is no doubt in my mind, it’s a good thing we parents don’t get to choose the colours." Phil Nash

The Urban Vocal Group Take to the Stage

On Sunday 13th December more than 80 singers from The Urban Vocal Group (UVG) took to the stage to perform their 5th annual concert at Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms.

66 young singers and 20 adults performed to a packed audience of more than 300 people, with unique arrangements of contemporary songs including ‘Uptown Funk’, ‘Story of my Life’ and ‘Fix You’ as well as original compositions. The group were joined on stage by rising star Jerry Williams who is the group’s patron, to perform her latest single ‘Boy Oh Boy’. The concert featured performances by The Adult UVG, a fee paying group whose profits go back into supporting free music activities for young people.

Alaina, aged 15, has been with the UVG for 10 months, she said: "The Wedge was amazing! Never would I have had the opportunity to do anything as brilliant as that with all these people."

After the concert UVG Director Charlie Fletcher said: “This is the biggest concert that we have ever staged with the largest amount of young people involved. The commitment and enthusiasm of everyone, both on stage and off, was remarkable and testament to the life changing benefits that come from participation in music.”

The UVG are a registered charity and have been running for 8 years offering free vocal tuition, song writing, recording and performance opportunities for young people aged 11 – 18. They are now one of the largest free to access music groups of its kind for young people in the South Coast.

At the end of the night parent Rachelle Cole said: “I loved it, some brilliant song choices and the talent, and sheer glow on the faces, made me enjoy it even more.  My children love coming to UVG, a relaxed, fun, organised singing group that make a difference.”

For more information on the groups and how to join please visit www.theuvg.co.uk

BSO Children's Concert

On Thursday 3 December musicians from Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra entertained a packed auditorium at the Guildhall in Portsmouth. The famous orchestra was there to perform a very special concert to 2000 children from Portsmouth and Hampshire entirely for free.

The programme of music was as diverse as it was spectacular, with music ranging from James MacMillan's Stomp, to Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. And the children had the rare chance to join the world class musicians, with singing and body percussion.

Sue Beckett, CEO of Portsmouth Music Hub, said: "This is the type of event that proves that Music Hub's matter. Working with our Hub Partners, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and the Guildhall Cultural Trust, we've been able to provide hundreds of children an amazing opportunity to experience world class music from some of the top musicians in the country, all for free."

Later that evening the BSO performed a public concert marking the 150th anniversary of the birth of Sibelius.

School Receives Top Award

Admiral Lord Nelson School, based in Portsmouth, is one of a handful of schools from around the country that has received the Artsmark Platinum Award. The new award has been established by Arts Council England to acknowledge the work of outstanding schools in the field of the Arts.

Recipients of the prestigious award have to demonstrate that their schools arts and culture curriculum offers a wide variety of learning in alternative arts and culture subjects such as digital installations, videography or public art. Older students should have the opportunity to have greater input into what they learn, how they learn and how they record their learning, and schools must demonstrate that they have supported other schools with curriculum design.

Platinum Award winners need to show that their children have access to a wide range of national arts and culture experiences including trips to theatres, art galleries and museums, and that children have access to dance events, and installations and public outdoor art.

Julia Firth, Head of Performance at Admiral Lord Nelson School said: "Our journey started in June 2015 when we were asked to pilot the new award. We completed a detailed case study, outlining good practice within the school relating to the Arts. It was a lengthy task, but it highlighted the amazing things that happen at the school, from school plays to dance shows and music gigs. Finally we were rewarded with the news that the Arts at Admiral Lord Nelson School are outstanding."

Christmas Celebration Concert

On Wednesday 2 December Portsmouth Cathedral welcomed camels, angels, mince pies and wise men for a special Christmas Concert marking the start of the festive season.

These were just some of the costumes created by more than 300 children from primary schools across Portsmouth who had come together to perform a celebration Christmas show for pupils, teachers and the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth.

The event was produced by Portsmouth Music Hub, and over the past few weeks teachers from 10 primary schools have been busy rehearsing the festive music and entertainment, with songs including Follow the Star, Away In a Manger and The Perfect Christmas Tree.

Ashley Oliver-Catt, Head of School at Cliffdale Primary Academy said: "The children have been preparing for the Christmas concert for weeks. They’ve been incredibly excited and it’s a real highlight for everyone, fun to watch and fun for all the children involved. For all of us here today, the concert really marked the start of Christmas."