City youth choir has a Royal date

Mar 9 2007 By Alison Dayani, Birmingham Mail

MUSICAL youngsters from Birmingham are on song to carry out a right royal performance when they star in front of Royalty.

The City of Birmingham Young Voices have been asked to represent Britain in a Commonwealth gala in front of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh on Monday.

More than 2,000 guests, including dignitaries from across the Commonwealth, will be treated to a rendition of Eugene Skeef's Harmony at Westminster Abbey.

It is the second time in as many years that the 70-strong group, led by Midland choral conductor David Lawrence, has been asked to perform for the Royal family.

The youngsters were part of a concert at Buckingham Palace to celebrate music in Britain in March 2005, but the Queen missed out on that performance.

Mike Flower, choir administrator, said: "We met the Queen over lunch at the Palace last time and she told us she was disappointed to miss the performance and would like to hear us one day.

"We have been invited by the Palace to sing at Westminster Abbey over any London choir and this time the Queen will be there for the Commonwealth Observance Day service, so everyone is very excited.

"This is a great thing to improve the reputation of the choir and spread the word about Birmingham."

Since its formation in 1999, the chorus group has also taken part in a jazz and gospel event with Jools Holland, accompanied a "virtual Elvis" at Birmingham's NEC and featured on two broadcasts of BBC1's Songs of Praise.

The City of Birmingham Young Voices are singers of all abilities, aged between 13 and 21 and one of four choruses run by Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

The choir meets weekly on Thursdays between 4.30pm and 6.15pm and anyone interested in joining can contact Mike Flower on 0121 616 6509.