After undertaking gruelling recording sessions in Marlborough on Thursday and Friday evenings, the Chamber Choir returned to the very different task of live performance on Saturday 9th May, when they took the Bednall Requiem to Oxford.

In an extremely well-attended and well-received recital in the Chapel of The Queen’s College, the girls were joined by the sopranos and altos of the Queen’s choir, and by David Bednall and the distinguished viola player Philip Dukes in what was felt to be the finest performance yet of the piece. Many members of the audience stayed behind to offer their congratulations to the choir; one described the occasion as ‘life-changing’ and another (an Old Wykehamist!) said that he suspected that ‘there has never been a school choir of that standard before!’

It was a special pleasure for David Bednall and Edward Whiting to return to the college where they first met and worked together as Organ Scholars. The emotions were also high for the UVI contingent of the choir for whom this was the last performance of a piece they have worked so hard with over the past eighteen months.

The choir have had a very busy period recently but are in no doubt that the intensity of their American tour in March and the preparation for the recent recording has taken their standard of singing to new heights.