Youth choir perform at the Tate Modern

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Borough’s music service goes from strength to strength

The borough’s youth choir will perform a mixture of popular songs at the Tate Modern on Saturday (6 November) to celebrate the 10th birthday of the National Lottery.

Forty five children, aged nine to 16, will sing songs ranging from John Lennon’s Imagine to Bob Chilcott’s Streetseller as part of the celebration, which will feature young people’s music, dance and theatre groups from all over the country.

The Hammersmith & Fulham Youth Choir, which has choirs for junior and senior age groups, is run by the council’s music service. The service has received about £55,000 from the Lottery-funded organisation Youth Music since 2002 and was selected by Youth Music to represent them at Saturday’s event.

Among the exciting borough music service projects being funded by Youth Music are:
· A new contemporary work - Playing with Dreams by Allan Simmons, which is based on Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream - has been commissioned by the council’s music service to be performed by local schools and the borough’s youth choirs, orchestra, ensemble and school rock bands in the spring.
· Pupils are learning ‘endangered species’ of instruments - including oboe, bassoon and double bass - as part of a national project to boost the popularity of the instruments. Money from Youth Music has enabled the borough’s music service to buy the instruments and musicians from the BBC Symphony Orchestra will mentor the young people who are learning how to play them.

Meanwhile the first anniversary of the music service’s partnership with the BBC Symphony Orchestra will be celebrated at Hammersmith Town Hall on 18 November, when the entire BBCSO will perform a concert for an invited audience of young musicians, community music groups and other guests. The concert will be broadcast live on BBC Radio Three and will be followed by a mayoral reception to thank the BBCSO for their work in the borough as Hammersmith & Fulham’s ‘orchestra in association’.

The borough’s mayor, Cllr Charlie Treloggan, said: “Our excellent music service provides valuable opportunities for children to sing, learn instruments and perform in imaginative and exciting projects. We are determined to help discover the great talent in our community and provide opportunities for all children and young people. We are grateful for the support of the BBC, Youth Music and other partners who are helping us to achieve this.”

November 7, 2004