Perfect Pitch Royal Albert Hall
As their hugely successful year continues, local children’s choir Perfect Pitch were thrilled to be invited to perform at the Music for Youth Prom at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday 13th November. This was a huge honour for the choir and is thanks to the hard work and commitment of all the children and their Musical Director, Emma Hopkins.
Music for Youth is a national music education charity which supports people under 21 to perform at festivals and concerts around the country. This year over 40,000 young musicians took part! Its prom brings the UK’s brightest young musicians to the stage at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Perfect Pitch impressed the selectors at both regional and national stages resulting in them being chosen to sing at this most prestigious event.
The choir is made up of 43 young musicians aged 8-14 from across the Peak District, and they were invited to sing two pieces, Emma’s own arrangement of the jaunty sea shanty “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor?” and the lyrical song” Love Grows Here”.
The programme for the whole concert was diverse and entertaining. For the finale the choir joined together with all the other musicians to perform a specially commissioned piece “Shine The Light Bright” by Peter L. Letanka. Everyone showed great enthusiasm as they sang and clapped along to the song, finishing with pyrotechnics and balloons falling from the iconic dome.
Despite earlier this year performing on live T.V. to over nine million viewers in the finals of Britain’s Got Talent, many of the children said that this was possibly one of the best nights of their lives, and certainly one of the most memorable. Emma said she was, “Delighted that we have been able to provide the structure and support to enable this opportunity to happen, and we are so grateful to my mum Louise Hopkins (assistant musical director), husband Thomas Barker (pianist), our chaperones and of course all the children’s dedicated parents for making it possible. Being involved in MFY events gives young musicians a chance to feel part of something bigger, and to connect to other young people across the country who, like them, love making music. We know how important it is to be actively involved in the arts from a young age − the benefits last a lifetime. “
Perfect Pitch will next be performing at their annual Christmas Concert alongside Sir Rirchard Arkwright’s Masson Mills Band at The Winding Wheel, Chesterfield on Sunday 17th of December. This Christmas Spectacular starts at 3pm and tickets are available from The Winding Wheel Box Office or online at www.chesterfield theatres.co.uk. The concert is in aid of #ChallengeDerbyshie, an initiative supporting three local end of life care charities, Ashgate Hospicecare, Blythe House Hospice and Helen’s Trust.