Pendleton Sixth Form College’s Chamber Choir victorious at Salford Choral Festival 2018

Pendleton Sixth Form College’s Chamber Choir came out on top at this year’s Salford Choral Festival, being named as overall winners and receiving honours for their performance.

The festival was put on by MAPAS, Salford’s Music and Performing Arts Service, and saw adult choirs from across Salford sing-off in an attempt to be crowned the city’s ultimate choir. The competition takes place every year with different categories for school/ college choirs and for adult choirs.

Pendleton is home to two, professional, student-led choirs; The Chamber Choir and The Consort of Voices, both of whom competed in the adult category for the first time this year. They participated alongside seven other Salford based choral groups including the well-known Salford Choral Society and the Ordsall A cappella Singers.

The Chamber Choir were the only group to receive honours in the competition and not just highly commended, walking away victorious on the day, much to the delight to the student members.

Performing arts student, Zachariah Frieze, said: “I am thrilled to have won in the adult choir section at the MAPAS Choral Festival with The Chamber Choir. We have worked extremely hard in rehearsals and I think this reflects our win. It was a fun day and it was lovely meeting people from the Salford community – winning was just an added bonus.”

Owen Bolton, former Rose Bridge High School, said: “To see the progression of the choir since our first rehearsal is amazing, and to fight off all the competition from across Salford was a wonderful feeling. Winning would have been a great achievement for any of the choirs – but to be the youngest choir in the competition was the icing on the cake.”

Freya Humberstone said: “The competition was such a great experience as it gave all of us more opportunity to get public performance practice, and also the chance to be adjudicated based on both technique and performance skills in terms of group singing.”

Both choirs are run as an extra-curricular activity at Pendleton Sixth Form College and perform at numerous showcases, events and occasions. Earlier this year The Consort of Voices took to the stage at the college’s annual Apprenticeship Awards during National Apprenticeship Week, and later this year will complete a residential at Queens College, The University of Cambridge.

Both choirs will be performing in ‘A Musical Evening of Speech and Song’ on Thursday 19 April at St Peter’s Church, Swinton, at 7pm. Tickets available on the door.