National Children's Choir to perform a free lunchtime concert in Bromsgrove

On Wednesday 6 August, the National Children’s Choir of Great Britain’s (NCCGB) Senior Choir will perform a free lunchtime concert in St John’s Church, Bromsgrove, with the performance beginning at 2.30pm. No ticket is required for entry - audience members can simply turn up.

The Senior Choir is a highly versatile SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) choir capable of singing standard classical repertoire, gospel and pop. Singers work together in interactive rehearsals to generate the high energy and remarkable sound of this group. Their conductor, Dan Ludford-Thomas, emphasises the importance of teamwork in the choir, and the singers build lasting friendships through their shared musical experience. Through connecting the music to the emotion, the NCCGB Senior Choir produces engaging, electric performances that are both moving and memorable for their audiences.

The programme has been curated by Ludford-Thomas, who also serves as NCCGB’s Musical Director, to showcase the versatility of the choir. It includes choral music by well-known classical composers such as Mozart and Debussy, a contemporary choral work by Cecilia McDowall, gospel choir songs and even an arrangement of Starlight by the French electronic music producer The Superman Lovers.

The concert falls just days before all four of NCCGB’s choirs take to the stage at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for their annual Summer Concert (Saturday 9 August, 3.30pm). Tickets for this concert may be booked via the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire’s website.

Children accepted into NCCGB participate in two courses per year, intensive weeks of singing. The NCCGB choirs sing a wide range of diverse repertoire and members learn choral discipline, musicality, vocal techniques and practical skills such as taking care of their voice. They also receive one-on-one singing lessons with a singing teacher. There are performance opportunities in public concerts in prestigious venues in the UK, and on choral tours abroad.

Auditions are held every autumn for entry into the next year. Audition dates for 2025 will be announced later this summer.

Programme

Josquin de prez Gaude Virgo

Heinrich Schutz Nun lässest du dienen, SWV432

Carl Rütti Mon secret

Cecilia McDowall Prayer

Debussy Les cloches (Soloist: Olivia Moss)

Mozart ‘Deh Vieni non tardar’ from The Marriage of Figaro (Soloist: Meira Narayan)

Dan Ludford-Thomas One

Steven J Brown & Laura Mvula Sing to the Moon (arr. Mvula)

Milton Brunson It’s Gonna Rain (arr. Dan Ludford Thomas and Philip Mitchell)

Jeffery L Ames Let everything that hath breath

The Superman Lovers Starlight (arr. Dan Ludford-Thomas)

National Children’s Choir of Great Britain (NCCGB)

NCCGB is helping to grow the next generation of musicians. Meeting twice a year for week-long residential choir courses during school holidays, the choirs perform in concerts and on choir tours in the UK and overseas. Auditions take place in the autumn, and the choir welcomes applications from young people aged 9 to 19 who love to sing. NCCGB puts strong pastoral care at the heart of its work, promoting an inclusive, supportive and happy environment where young people can learn from the best musicians.

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Dan Ludford-Thomas (Musical Director & Conductor)

Dan Ludford-Thomas enjoys a busy schedule as a conductor/chorus master in London. He regularly conducts large-scale works including Bach’s B Minor Mass, Brahms’ Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Great Mass in C minor and Verdi's Requiem at the Southbank Centre. He has conducted orchestras including London MozartPlayers, His Majesty’s Sagbutts and Cornetts, and Forest Philharmonic.

Dan was chorus master for the Choir of the Age of Enlightenment at the BBC Proms in 2013, 2015 and 2022, working with conductors Marin Alsop and John Butt. He was a choirmaster for BBC2’s The Choir: Sing While You Work, becoming Artistic Director of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir. He was co-producer/musical director for the Choir’s 2015 Christmas No.1 Bridge Over You. In the second series, he worked with Citibank Choir, staying on as Musical Director. In 2015 Dan worked as choirmaster for The Choir: Gareth Malone’s Great Choir Reunion.

Dan is Head of Vocal Studies at Dulwich College and has given masterclasses on the Rodolfus Foundation Choral Courses and at the University of Durham. He is Musical Director of Lewisham Choral Society and Hackney Singers, and Principal Conductor of Vox Urbane.