Together in Song

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Keen to sing the praises of choral music-making, music teacher Ms. Claudie Baum reflects on the progress the Auditioned Choir has made in the two years since it was formed.

“Our pupils are always eager for opportunities to perform, and with so much musical talent at Harrodian, it felt important to share it more widely,” says Ms Baum, explaining the reasoning behind starting this choir.

The idea grew from the success of the Rhineland Choir Tour in Spring 2023. Many pupils had enjoyed being part of the tour choir and performing for wider audiences. Ms. Baum wanted to create similar opportunities at home, while also establishing a group of skilled singers who could perform at short notice when needed.

This led to the creation of the Auditioned Choir, made up of vocalists from the 11s/Year 7 to the 14s/Year 10 – currently a mixed group of 30 pupils. Recognising their dedication and ability to take on challenging music, Ms. Baum was keen to give them more chances to perform publicly. With the support of Director of Music Ms. Kay Le Doujet and the enthusiasm of the pupils, the choir became a reality.

To date, the Auditioned Choir has performed at 11 events, including eight at school – such as the Spring, Autumn, and Carol concerts, the Remembrance service, and the 12s Graduation ceremony in 2023 – and four in the local community. Among these were three events for the local neighbourhood care charity FiSH. The choir took part in two Retro Café concerts, held in October 2023 and April 2024 at St. Michael & All Angels in Barnes, a gathering that supports individuals with early memory loss and dementia. These performances featured the Auditioned Choir as a group, as well as solos and duets by individual members.

The third event, in December 2023, was a special intergenerational Carol Concert where the Auditioned Choir performed both independently and alongside the FiSH Good Afternoon Choir, a group of older adults from the local community. This collaboration made for a memorable event, described by the FiSH charity’s Director as "a joyful celebration of voices – from the youthful energy of the Harrodian Auditioned Choir to the rich, seasoned tones of the fabulous Good Afternoon Choir (our 'forever young' choir members!). The combination of generations singing together was magical and truly special."

Another highlight for the Auditioned Choir and their fourth external concert, was their joint performance with the adult Barnes Olympic Choir, led by Dan Miller (Harrodian peri singing teacher and choirmaster for the Harrodian Staff Choir), as part of the ‘A Merry Lyric Christmas’ concert at the Hammersmith Lyric Theatre in December. The event, hosted by Gyles Brandreth and produced by Zia Moranne (Harrodian peri piano teacher), raised funds for the local theatre and showcased music from West London’s best choirs. The programme also included solo and duet performances by students and staff from local schools, including a solo by Harrodian’s former music teacher Ms. Kerry Sampson and a song co-written and performed by Lower Sixth music student Olivia and Music Technician Mr Dan Almond.

The diverse repertoire performed by the Auditioned Choir – spanning classical, traditional, folk, and contemporary styles – has significantly enriched their skills as singers. Pieces such as Shoshone Love Song (Roger Emerson), City of Stars (Justin Hurwitz, from La La Land), Down by the Salley Gardens (Benjamin Britten), Loch Lomond (Scottish folk), Light a Candle (Martha Keen), I Remember (Sarah Quartel), and I Wish You Christmas (John Rutter) have each presented unique challenges, many featuring intricate harmonies that have pushed the choir to grow musically.

The success of the Auditioned Choir and its effect on the community has highlighted just how important choral music-making can be—a point that Ms. Baum is particularly eager to emphasise. “Choral singing supports many aspects of the music curriculum (such as vocal technique, ensemble skills, listening, and music reading). But, as this project has demonstrated, it can also help to build cross-community and cross-generational connections,” she explains.

To watch a video of the Auditioned Choir singing 'I Remember' at the FiSH intergenerational Carol Concert on 6th December 2024 see below: 

To watch a short video of the Auditioned Choir singing 'Light a Candle' with the FiSH Good Afternoon Choir as part of the same FiSH Carol Concert see below:

And what do our pupils in the Auditioned Choir think? “I love performing in the school concerts, but I know that my family, friends, and teachers are in the audience and generally they are quite easy to please! Performing in front of an unknown audience is much more of a challenge, we really have to up our game!” says Apoline in the 11s (Year 7).

“The Auditioned Choir is better than other choirs I have been in because everyone takes it more seriously and they are all there for the singing. It is also the first time that I have been part of a choir that performs in concerts outside school,” Xavi (13s) explains. “At the FiSH concerts we sang for people with early onset dementia and saw how some of them were moved to tears by our singing. It really had an impact and made me realise how powerful music is,” he says.

But plans for the Auditioned Choir don’t stop there! This year, there are exciting opportunities for the group, including a performance at the Castelnau Community Centre, and more FiSH concerts, as part of our continued collaboration with them.

Although the Auditioned Choir isn’t accepting any more members (it is completely full!), the Training Choir or the Senior Choir are still recruiting and those that join now will be able to take part in this year’s Spring Concert.

For any further information please get in touch with Ms Claudie Baum in the Music department.