FCMG London Children’s Choir -
Paris Tour 2003

Une tournée triomphale

The highlight of this autumn’s busy and productive season was undoubtedly the half-term tour to Paris.

The Senior and Chamber Choirs travelled to Paris for five days to perform three concerts in prestigious and historic venues in and around Paris. Undaunted by the prospect of singing in French to Parisian audiences, the choir gave polished performances of programmes of sacred music including works by Poulenc, Fauré, Duruflé, Messager, Bruckner and Britten. Many weeks of preparation, both musical and administrative, came to fruition in five days of unforgettable musical experiences in an atmosphere of hard work, enjoyment and camaraderie.

On Friday October 31st the choirs travelled to the historic town of Ivry la Bataille for the first concert of the tour. Saturday November 1st allowed some time for sight seeing and sampling of local gastronomic delights. In the evening FCMG delighted the audience in a packed Eglise de Notre Dame des Blancs Manteaux with their disciplined, focussed and inspired singing. Members of the audience were astonished by the accomplished delivery of FCMG’s young performers.

The tour culminated in a moving performance of Britten’s Missa Brevis at the Sunday morning Mass in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Four thousand worshippers listened with rapt attention as the voices of FCMG singers resonated around the ancient vaults of the great cathedral. This was a thrilling climax to a memorable and successful tour.