On Wednesday 4 December, Downe House choir Prima Voce were well and truly in the festive spirit when they performed at a beautiful Hope and Homes for Children carol concert at St Mary Abbots Church, Kensington which raised £14,000 in aid of the charity. Hope and Homes for Children, founded by Downe House Alumna, Caroline Cook and her husband, Mark describe their objective:
We’re working towards a day when every child can grow up in a loving family. Our vision is a world in which children no longer suffer institutional care.
Prima Voce were invited to perform at the concert alongside British cellist Maxim Calver, brass quintet Canon Brass and Katie Melua.
Prima Voce are an auditioned chamber choir open to all girls in Upper Fifth and Sixth Form, and in 2018 they were crowned Barnardo’s Senior Choir of the Year. At the carol concert they were accompanied by members of our Music department and gave a number of stunning performances including Bob Chilcott’s ‘I Lift My Eyes’ and Pentatonix’s ‘Mary Did You Know’.
As well as their own performances, Prima Voce had the opportunity to sing with the multi-award winning singer songwriter, Katie Melua. Melua is one of the UK’s highest-selling female recording artists of all time who has sold in excess of 11 million albums and received over 56 platinum awards. Melua performed four songs, for three of which she was accompanied by Prima Voce and this included a spine-tingling cover of ‘Holy Night’.
A huge thank you to Hope and Homes for Children for inviting us to take part in the carol concert.
You can see the whole album of photos from the concert below.
