On the heels of a successful workshop with composer, Bob Chilcott, as part of the Annual Conference for the Association of British Choral Directors, SLYC gave the Scottish Premier of his latest composition, Requiem.
A work of sustained beauty and subtle expression, this piece, undoubtedly, captured the hearts and imagination of it's listeners as well as it's performers. Our two soloists were Angeline Moncus (Soprano) and Matthew Todd (Tenor) both of whom sang with a maturity and passion far beyond their years.
Accompanying the Requeim was a film presentation by young film maker, Philip Todd, depicting a modern day version of Jesus' parable, the Samaritan. Here are Philip's own words concerning this work:
"So we know all about child suffering, don't we? We've seen it... on our screens. But imagine the barriers were removed and the horrific scenes we are so numbed to were actually happening all around us. If that child I see, so foreign and far away, was in fact my own child; desperately hanging on to life, not in a poor distant country, but in my house or in the garden... or in the park.
I wanted to keep this film as simple as possible. It is a sequence showing a child playing in the park. There is not a lot to think about. However, as an accompaniment to Chilcott's evocative music I hope it may cause the viewer to feel, even just a little. For emotion is far more immediate than thought and true care and kindness for our neighbour comes not from the head, but from the heart."
Adding to the poignancy of this fund raising event for the Epiphany Trust's work with Romanian orphans, was the presence of the virtuoso Romanian pianist, Ancuta Nite. In her programme of Chopin and Debussy pieces she both dazzled and enchanted. We hope that she will join us for another occasion in the near future.
The instrumental ensemble were drawn from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama as well as Douglas Academy, a school for gifted young musicians.
After this performance, SLYC received some written praise from members of the audience. Here are a few of the comments:
“Congratulations to you all on a truly wonderful performance.”
“Everything you did was on a very professional level.”
“Your singing was wonderful – your voices blended beautifully. You managed to make the difficult phrases seem effortless.”
Bob Chilcott himself was unable to be at the concert, but sent this message to the choir:
"I am thrilled that the Spirit of Life Youth Choir is giving the Scottish premiere of my Requiem. I’m sorry I can’t be with you, but I hope it’s a great success. Good luck!"
This concert raised £600 which was donated to the Epiphany Trust to help with the building of a second Halfway House, ARC 2, for young adult orphans with disabilities.
Click on any image below to start a slideshow. Photos courtesy of Nicola Leitch.
