Portsmouth High School’s Director of Music George Tinsley and renowned choral composer Bob Chilcott were the two featured artists present on Sunday at the GDST Sing! concert.
The event took place at the Royal Academy of Music in London, drawing 170 singers from seventeen GDST schools, including five of our own talented sixth form musicians. The concert was led by prizewinning conductor Hilary Campbell, who praised the group for coming together on the day and making such remarkable harmonious music together in such a short span of time.
Hilary Campbell advised the audience to picture themselves in a balmy Sicilian street market before launching the choir into a rousing and energetic performance of Mr Tinsley’s La Vucciria, the first movement of his composition, Voices from the Past. This work was based upon Mr Tinsley’s travels and research in Sicily in 2023 and was dedicated to pupils, past and present. La Vucciria was inspired by Renato Guttoso’s iconic painting of the market and two buskers Mr Tinsley heard in Palermo. The tambourine rhythm they played was recreated by PHS student Aoki both at the premier performance in 2023 and the event last Sunday.
Director of Music at Brighton Girls School said, ‘My students loved learning this piece’ and another GDST music teacher, who was born in Sicily said, ‘It was wonderful to hear those words and sounds from home.’
Year 12 student Libby added, ‘Our final performance was a stunning display of vocal range and harmonies led by our wonderful conductor to end the day on a high. It was fantastic to explore the Academy and speak with the other girls. Everybody was so welcoming and it was overall a wonderful experience!’.
