CHAPEL CENTENARY
From the Choirmaster
As part of celebrations for the centenary of
the Guildford Grammar School Chapel, the
Chapel Choir participated in a liturgical and
concert setting of the Mass in Celebration for
the Centenary of the Chapel of St Mary and
St George by the distinguished Australian
composer, Gerard Brophy. The work, which
took approximately 40 minutes to perform,
was especially written for the capacity of the
Chapel Choir and the superb acoustics and
architecture of the School Chapel.
The Chapel Choir, which consisted of 45
students from Years 5 to 12, collaborated
with Australia’s finest classical vocal group,
The Song Company, the international
organist Daniel Trocmé-Latter and the
celebrated didgeridoo player William Barton.
Although the rehearsal process was
extremely demanding for the choristers,
a considerable number of whom only
joined the ensemble at the start of the
year, the event was extremely rewarding
for all of the staff and students involved. A
special mention must be made of Angus
Grigson (7Fr), who sang a beautiful solo
in the Sanctus in his first performance
with the Chapel Choir. The opportunity to
perform alongside professional singers was
appreciated by all the choristers who learnt
a great deal about the concentration and
discipline required to produce music at the
highest level.
The Director of The Song Company,
Mr Roland Peelman, conducted both
performances and worked tirelessly to
achieve the level of detail and polish that
made the performance so memorable.
Earlier in the week The Song Company
presented short performances to the School
during Congregational singing practice and
participated in workshops with choirs in the
Preparatory School.
Perhaps the most memorable of the mass
movements was the Credo, an unusually
long Latin text that is rarely sung because of
its complexity. The treble and alto choristers
were spread out along the ‘monk’s walk’ or
the gallery above the Chapel, repeating a
haunting refrain – ‘Credo in unum Deum’ (I
believe in one God) - while the tenors and
basses sang the text in plainchant above the
evocative tones of the didgeridoo.
Special thanks must be given to Miss Anita
Fuhrmann, the Preparatory School Music
Teacher for her work preparing the treble
choristers and to Mr Kieran Hurley for his
delicate and stylish playing of the Himalayan
Singing Bowls. The Chapel Choir hope to
perform the work in Term 3 and members
of the School community are encouraged
to attend and hear this remark