Programme

Miller – Cantate Domino Allelijah
Trad Native American arr. R Emerson – Shosone Love Song
Goodall arr. Hughes – The Lord is my Shepherd
Andrew Lloyd Webber – Pie Jesu (Requiem)
Wiseman – Ave Maria
Chilcott – Singing Bird
Hawkins – Goin’ up a Yonder
Rutter – Distant Land
Britten – Three Folk Songs
Trad arr. Humphrey  Water is Wide
True – Blessing
German –Orpheus with his Lute
arr Jonathan Willcocks – Monateng Kapele
Loesser – Sit down you’re Rockin’ the Boat

Performers

The Southend Girls’ Choir was founded in 1988, and has since built an enviable reputation across the South East and further afield.
The choir has broadcast on television and radio, and performs regularly at prestigious concert halls and Cathedrals across the world.
The Southend Girls’ Choir has worked with its President, Sir David Willcocks, in addition to working with eminent conductors and arrangers including Bob Chilcott, John Rutter, Ken Burton and Mike Brewer. The choir has commissioned works by Bob Chilcott, Debbie Wiseman and Ian Hughes, and has given many premiere performances of works written for them.
Together with The Southend Boys’ Choir, the choir has recorded  with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and has several commercial CDs to their name, entitled Angelis – Voices of Angels, which received major coverage on national radio stations.
The Choir performs at major venues across the country, and can be heard regularly singing at Royal Albert Hall, St Martin in the Fields, St James Piccadilly, St Mary Woolnoth in addition to performances in major venues in Europe, US and Australia. Their repertoire is wide and varied, and their diversity shows them recording backing vocals for pop songs for Warner Bros, performing in the Crypt of the House of Commons, and singing at the launch of the liner “Millennium” in Southampton. .Jointly the choirs perform for Music Clubs and festivals around the country, and have raised many thousands of pounds for charities.
They have performed in the BBC Proms Concerts in recent years, including singing in the Royal Prom in 2006 for 80th birthday of HRH Queen Elizabeth II, and have also taken part as one of 4 invited choirs to perform at the Gala Concert for the annual conference of the Association of British Choral Directors in Lincoln Cathedral.
The choir makes annual concert tours each year, and recent tours have included singing in St Mark’s Venice, Barcelona Cathedral, Milan Cathedral and Florence Duomo. In 2008 they performed with the Southend Boys’ Choir in the Sydney Opera House, and in 2010 made a concert tour to California.
2011 engagements include performing in the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, a concert tour of the South of France and concerts in Royal Albert Hall, St Martin in the Fields and St James Piccadilly.
The Southend Girls’ Choir holds the world record, as verified by the Guinness Book of Records, for performing a concert at the highest altitude in aeroplane, above the northern coast of Australia. The choir gave a 45 minute recital at a height of 36,000 feet, thus becoming the world record holders for such an event.

Both choirs are supported by Southend Borough Council.

What people have said about the Southend Girls’ Choir ….
‘The Southend Girls’ Choir is simply the best youth choir around for all sorts of music.’Ian Hughes, composer, director & arranger

‘… a wonderful positive bright sound, musically shaped and always with clear words … ‘Jasper Thorogood, Director of Music, Felsted School

‘The Southend Girls’ Choir has a perfect combination of subtlety, energy and character …’Jim Papoulis, composer, director & producer (New York)