LYC at Commonwealth Day 2022

We arrived at about 10.45am and were taken to this incredible room which is where the first-ever parliament was held. And we got to practice in there which was absolutely amazing and the acoustics were something out of this world. During our rehearsal there were BBC people all over the place (we often had to stop so they could film) as well as other members of the service such as the flag holders for the different Commonwealth countries.

I was actually fortunate enough to have sung in the Abbey  during sixth form as part of the choir at school so it was lovely to be back performing in such an amazing space! The thrill of making music in there will definitely never get old.

It was exhilarating but rather daunting and as we were warming up Greg made us shake off a little bit of our nerves by running round like maniacs to get our bodies warm. We then were allowed to rehearse in the Abbey itself and get all set up which was absolutely invaluable because the acoustics in there are very difficult to manage. Then we had some lunch which was given to us by the staff and made sure we were all ready for the performance, and then we were sent in to the service as everyone was arriving.

A personal highlight was seeing all the flags of the Commonwealth and the flag bearers during the service in Westminster Abbey, it was a honestly a tear-jerking moment seeing all the people from different countries around the world in traditional dress, standing together holding their flags high, individuals united in their differences especially at this time with all that’s going on in the world currently.

We started to sing at about 1.40pm while being watched by loads of primary school kids and the various celebrities walking past us. At the very end of our set we decided to do the ‘Dithyramb’ again as it is our most impressive piece and we got a round of applause. Then the Royal Family walked in and it was amazing to see them…the service itself was interesting but to be honest parts of it are a bit of a blur as we were all so excited! When it was over we were taken back to the rehearsal space and we filmed some of our pieces in the beautiful acoustics of that room.

I was also able to meet and chat with one of the lead singers from the London African Gospel Choir who thought he’d recognised me as one of the flag bearers! It was great to hear their sound with Emeli Sandé in the service, along with Mica Paris, whose performance was definitely one our highlights – we’ve all been singing ‘Mamma Said’ non-stop since!

Overall it was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience and I will remember it till the day I die. And if we ever get to do it again I will do it in a heartbeat.

It was an amazing experience as a choir to be able to share with the members of the Commonwealth and the many people that came, the thing that really does unite us all – music!