Music: Lindley Junior school Choir line up big concerts

Jun 19 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

Music: Lindley Junior school Choir line up big concerts

AN award-winning choir is gearing up for a busy month.

Lindley Junior School Choir is lined up for a host of public performances and concerts into July.

And one of the biggest is the singers’ debut at one of the summer’s most popular events, the Concert on the Hill.

The concert, run by Huddersfield YMCA Rugby Union Football Club at its Laund Hill headquarters, is the 10th in a series which have seen crowds flock to the ground to hear singers and musicians and to revel in the Last Night of the Proms atmosphere.

This year, regulars Honley and Colne Valley Male Voice Choirs, Lindley Band and John Pashley’s New Orleans Parade Band will once again be joined by soprano Julia Garbutt. But there is great delight at the club too that the new kids on the block this year are such a musical success story in their own right.

Lindley Junior School Choir won the BBC Songs of Praise School Choirs of the Year contest last year – only days after winning the Mrs Sunderland Outstanding Performance of the Day and the Year Eight and Under classes.

The choir, of eight to 11-year-olds, was announced as the Songs of Praise winners after they sang Dear Lord and Father of Mankind and Rhythm of Life impressing a prestigious panel including star soprano Lesley Garrett and composer Howard Goodall.

Now they are nearing their 10th anniversary with more targets in their sights.

On July 7, they travel to Birmingham’s Symphony Hall to take part in the National Festival for Youth Music.

Two years ago they were lauded as “outstanding” in the same festival, which attracts the country’s best youth choirs.

Head teacher Miss Pat Thompson said: “The choir are rehearsing hard for the trip to Birmingham and we would love to do as well as we did last time.

“We could not take part last year because of the BBC contest.

“But we are also busier nearer to home. Next Monday, we will join Colne Valley Male Voice Choir for a concert at Slaithwaite, and on June 25 we host our own concert at The Church of Latter Day Saints at Birchencliffe.

“Two days after that, on June 27, we are performing at Lindley Carnival and a week later, on July 4, we have been invited to take part in the Concert on The Hill at the YMCA at Laund Hill, which is a very big event.

“It is the first time we have been asked to perform there but we are delighted the organisers have given us a very big billing.