1000 children on Sunday 30th November, from primary to university age, raised their voices as one at the Royal Albert Hall to sing one of Handel's most famous masterpieces - the traditional pre-Christmas 'Messiah,' in order to raise money for Water Aid. Accompanied by the Royal Festival Orchestra, under the baton of Susan Digby OBE, the Scratch Youth Messiah was a massive success.

   Sutton's own Nonsuch High School for Girls was one such contributor to the performance, and upon arriving, the group of 16 girls were all happy to explore the legendary, intricate Hall, which was opened by Queen Victoria in 1871.

   They had only rehearsed a couple of times in after school sessions, performing one movement in the Autumn Concert on 27th November, but during the run through rehearsal, many said it was a brilliant result, as obviously one could hear the added strength of more than 1000 voices, as well as the strong support of the tenors and basses (which, of course, are nonexistent in a girl's school.)

   The concert itself consisted of a shortened version of the Messiah (the full length piece would be over three hours!), which included recitatives and airs from older soloists, and of course, the choruses, in which the 1000 strong choir served their purpose beautifully.

   I asked Lauren, one such participating soprano from Nonsuch, about her general opinion of the event, and she said it was an "amazing, once in a lifetime experience," especially as there was "no pressure" on any one person - "it was just really fun."  

   The piece also neatly ties into Nonsuch's GCSE Music, as one of the set works is "And the Glory of the Lord," one of the opening pieces of the Messiah. It is an understatement to say that having the opportunity to actually sing this piece, as well as the rest of the Messiah in front of thousands at the Royal Albert Hall, was taking learning enrichment to another level.

By Lorna Bo, Nonsuch High School for Girls.