FCMG London Children’s Choir -
Summer School 2009

Summer School 2009 was held in a new Venue, Tonbridge School. This provided all the facilities we could possibly want, including a fantastic chapel for singing in, a state-of-the-art theatre for performance work, great rehearsal spaces, lots of outdoor space for activities, a full size swimming pool and a residential block which easily held 54 children and 6 chaperones as well as providing common rooms and space for our tuck shop.

The week was very busy, with rehearsals starting almost as soon as we arrived on the Sunday, and continuing into the evenings on many days.

There was a surprising amount of sport for a week that was filled with drama and music. Most of the children took part in a game of rounders that continued till nobody could see the ball, the 27-a-side football game seemed to have far too many goalkeepers, and many of the children had an opportunity to swim in the 25 meter pool. There were also football goals immediately outside our accommodation, which were used during many breaks.

The week ended with a concert in the chapel, based on work we did during the week. There was a separate performances by some of our younger singers who are really developing a fantastic sound, as well as by the full Senior and Chamber choirs. This was followed by our production of Orpheus and Eurydice in the Underworld! This combined the ending from Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice with the whole of Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld and included a great deal of fun, as well as some fantastic singing. Here is a copy of the programme for this production.

The support staff this year included: