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Taplow Youth Choir: A Resounding Success
At the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday 28 August, the Taplow Youth Choir sang in a truly inspiring performance of Mendelssohn's Oratorio, Elijah, at the BBC Proms by the world renowned Gabrielli Consort and Players under conductor Paul McCreesh, with five leading opera star soloists, four other youth choirs and the Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir. The supreme dedication of the conductor, the drilled precision of the orchestra, the total commitment of the soloists, and the power and magnificence of the choirs captured the rapt attention of the sell-out audience. In my sixty years of 'promming' it was an awesome and exhilarating evening. Gillian Dibden, Founder and Director of the Taplow Youth Choir, was thrilled for the choir to have the privilege of working with the Gabrielli Consort and she is hoping there will be another opportunity in the near future. In her early career, she had played, sang and conducted Elijah. Three hours long, it is demanding on voice and physical stamina and the choir began rehearsals in September last year holding a week-end session in June with conductor Paul McCreesh. The Proms required a six day commitment - rehearsals all day on Thursday, Friday, Saturday plus Sunday morning, the performance on Sunday evening, and recording the performance for a CD on Monday and Tuesday. Gillian has high praise for the members of her choir - never absent or late for rehearsals with total commitment on each and every occasion and still reaching that extra high to give the public their very best at each performance. The Taplow Youth Choir was formed in the autumn of 2006. The choir of over 60 members aged 15 to 18 performs a varied and challenging repertoire spanning several centuries. It rehearses every other Saturday throughout the year in the Taplow Village Centre preparing the many choral pieces which will feature in its ambitious concert schedule. Each year the choir is invited to sing a Wednesday Choral Evensong at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle and it is a regular visitor to the Windsor Festival. This year it gave a concert at the Royal Chapel of All Saints in Windsor Great Park and at next year's Spring Festival it will present The Armed Man by Karl Jenkins in St George's Chapel. Its overseas concert tours have include Amsterdam, Estonia, and Barcelona. In 2008 Taplow Youth Choir won the youth category in the BBC Radio 3 Choir of the Year Competition and it was the runner-up in the Tallinn International Choral Competition in 2009. Our village is fortunate and proud to have the privilege of being the host to such an outstanding choir. Karl Lawrence
