The Schola Cantorum of Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, Kensington, will celebrate its 40th anniversary with a concert on 3 March 2020 in Cadogan Hall, London, featuring the first performance of a new setting of Ave maris stella (the Marian hymn ‘Hail, star of the sea’) for choir and orchestra by Roderick Williams OBE, commissioned for the occasion.
The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School is a Roman Catholic state school in west central London, for boys aged 11-18. The Schola Cantorum, the school’s liturgical choir, has appeared at the BBC Proms and the Aldeburgh Festival and its voices feature on numerous film soundtracks including the Oscar-winning score for The Life of Pi. Professional ensembles the choir has worked alongside include The Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, His Majestys Sagbutts and Cornetts, The Bach Choir, St James’ Baroque, The London Symphony Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia and the Gabrieli Consort and Choir.
On 3 March, the Schola Cantorum and Belgravia Chamber Orchestra will be conducted by the school’s Director of Music, Scott Price. Roderick Williams, equally distinguished as a singer and a composer, will be the baritone soloist in the Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams. The concert programme also includes the Mass for Two Choirs Op. 36 by the French organist-composer Charles-Marie Widor and works by composers ranging from J S Bach, Handel and Elgar to James MacMillan and the American film composer Danny Elfman.
Future events marking the Schola Cantorum’s anniversary year include a broadcast of Choral Vespers for Ascension on BBC Radio 3 – a rare invitation to a state school choir to lead the music in a Radio 3 broadcast service – and a tour to Australia in October.
Visit the Cadogan Hall website for further information and to book tickets
Header photo: Scola Cantorum, Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School
