New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Anna Haestrup from St Paul's Girls School in London and
William Miles-Kingston from St Peter's School in York have been announced as the winners of the BBC
Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year 2019.
The grand final took place at the BBC Philharmonic Studio at Media City UK, Salford. It was hosted by former Blue
Peter presenter Radzi Chinyanganya and will broadcast in a special programme on
Radio 2 at 6pm on 22 December.
Anna is lead soprano at Saint Mary's Church in Barnes and
William sings in the St Peter's Chapel Choir.
Now in its 33rd year of broadcast, BBC
Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year celebrates young talent singing for worship in churches, chapels, cathedrals and beyond. Eight contestants from around the UK, aged between 11 and 17 years of age, compete in the final and perform in front of a panel of judges.
The judging panel this year included composer and conductor Bob Chilcott (Chair of Judges), vocal coach to the stars, Carrie Grant, world famous opera singer, Gerald
Finley and classical singing star, Camilla Kerslake.
Lewis Carnie, Head of
Radio 2, says: "Once again, BBC
Radio 2's Young Choristers of the Year has seen an extraordinary level of talent among its finalists. Congratulations to all who took part. I'm delighted that
Radio 2 can continue to provide young choristers with a platform on the UKs most listened-to network - and opportunities to perform on the BBC and elsewhere, throughout the year to come."
Chair of Judges, Bob Chilcott, says: "The performances from all of the young singers were very strong. They all sang brilliantly and were very composed. It was a great occasion and very moving to hear singing at that level from young people."
The two winners each received a trophy and a recording session with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. The recordings will be played on BBC radio. Throughout the coming year, the winners will also have opportunities to take part in a variety of BBC radio and television programmes and to perform at engagements in the wider community.
Last year's winners, Cassian Pichler-Roca and
Emilia Jacques have recorded a CD with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra for BBC
Music Magazine and have appeared on BBC
Radio 2's Good Friday At The Foot Of The Cross, Friday Night Is
Music Night, Good Morning Sunday programmes and other programmes across
Radio 3 and
Radio 4.
Previous winners have also taken part in a variety of radio and television appearances; some have gone on to appear in West End musicals, sign recording contracts and also sing with prestigious choirs and artists across a variety of musical genres.
The eight finalists of BBC
Radio 2's Young Choristers of the Year 2019 were:
Charlie Trueman (Wakefield Cathedral)
Cai
Thomas (Edgeborough School, Farnham)
William James (Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace)
William Miles-Kingston (St Peter's School, York)
Amelia Horan (Sedburgh School)
Catherine
James (Lady Eleanor Holles School, Hampton)
Lydia South (Lincoln Cathedral)
Anna Haestrup (St Paul's Girls School, Hammersmith)
The music performed by the finalists:
Joy To The World (Antioch)
The
Little Road To Bethlehem (Head)
Suo Gan (Robert Prizeman)
O Holy Night (Adam)
Past Three O'Clock (Wood)
Dormi, Jesu (John Rutter)
In The Bleak Midwinter (Holst)
The Sussex Carol (Willcocks)
Once In Royal David's City (Irby)
That Yonge Child (Britten)
The Coventry Carol (Traditional)
The Corpus Christi Carol (Britten)
The Shepherd's Farewell Carol (Berlioz)
How Beautiful Are The Feet (Handel)
The First Nowell (Willcocks)
The Virgin's Slumber Song (Reger)
BBC
Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year is produced by Alexa Good for BBC Religion.
