Leading choral composer to officially open £2.5million music school at Wrekin College
One of Britain's most renowned choral composers will fly into the UK from New York to officially open a new £2.5million music school at a sell-out concert this week.
The state-of-the-art facility at Shropshire's Wrekin College will officially open its doors on Friday with the sell-out Gala Concert by popular choir director Philip Stopford.
Rehearsals with school and community choirs will take place throughout the day as Mr Stopford puts the final touches to the evening's extravaganza.
Having held positions at Canterbury, Chester and Belfast Cathedrals his current post is at one of the largest churches in New York - Christ Church in Bronxville.
He will not only ‘cut the ribbon’ but also lead the Wrekin College Chapel Choir and Community Choir in a performance of some of his most popular works.
This will herald in nine further must-attend events with five of these featuring some of Britain’s most promising talents in a concert series named Sounds of the Future to be held across 2020.
Headlining this series will be pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason with tickets for the October event likely to be in high demand.
Her debut album went to number one in the UK Classical Charts when it was released in July and the Kanneh-Mason family entertained the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Royal Variety Performance.
Director of Music Simon Platford MBE said Friday's opening would launch the series which promises to delight audiences for the next 12 months.
“Whether your love is for the wonderful classical tradition or something a little more ‘contemporary’ there is a very exciting line up of artistes joining us in 2020,” he added.
“Five of these concerts are included in our ‘Sounds of the Future’ series, where our aim is to invite performers who are not long out of school themselves but are already well on the way to being the next set of leading virtuosi in their field, to inspire our musicians to aim for these heights!”
Work started on the music school, which boasts a purpose built ensemble rehearsal space and individual teaching studios, late last year.
Headmaster Tim Firth commented that “Wrekin has a very strong tradition of supporting and nurturing some phenomenal musical talents and we look to continue to do this and expand our offering with this new facility. It was very important to us that the concert series we brought together reflected our amambitions for the future of music in the UK and its place on the world stage.”
Wrekin College is offering scholarships and bursaries covering up to 100 per cent of the fees to talented musicians.
“To start this exciting year the school is looking forward to welcoming Philip Stopford as the Wrekin Choirs really love performing his music,” added Mr Platford.
“A rising star in the world of sacred compositions, Philip’s pieces have proved to be hugely popular with choirs and audiences alike.”
