Portsmouth High School will be the featured choir in BBC Radio 2’s ‘Sunday Half Hour’ programme this week: Sunday 10 February, 8.30pm, BBC Radio 2.

The recording took place back in November at St Judes Church, Southsea, and the first broadcast was heard on December 30, they will be the featured choir in this Sunday’s broadcast and the choir are waiting excitedly to hear themselves on national radio.

The recordings include a number of solo verses as well as Sixth Form Music Scholar, Emma Fry who added violin accompaniment to two hymns to add contrast to the organ.

Angela Blackwell, Director of Music at the school said; “It will be very exciting to hear the choir broadcast, the girls did fantastically at the recording, not only to be able to sing top As at 9:45pm on a cold, wet, winter night, but the sound engineers and producer required no re-takes of any of their music. Eight perfect pieces in a row! The producer was very complimentary and we have now been recognised as a choir fit to do live broadcasts for the BBC.”

In a letter written to the school from Clair Jaquiss, the producer of the BBC Radio 2 half-hour programme said of the choir; “Hymns are deceptively difficult to sing really well, but your group certainly showed how it should be done.  … their professional approach and concentration meant that their contribution was outstanding”.