GORDONSTOUN CHAMBER CHOIR SINGS AT A ROYAL WEDDING
The Gordonstoun Chamber Choir had the honour of performing at the wedding ceremony of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall on Saturday 30 July. 19 students came back to Gordonstoun in their summer holidays for three days of rehearsals to prepare for the wedding. They travelled down to Edinburgh, the day before the wedding for a rehearsal at Canongate Kirk. Escorted by police from Fettes College (where they were being hosted for the evening) the choir were taken to the gates of The Palace of Holyroodhouse. From there they walked up Canongate in front of cheering crowds to the Kirk.
Following the rehearsal members of the choir met with Zara Phillips, Mike Tindall and HRH the Princess Royal, who thanked the choir for their involvement. James Barton and Vikki Macleod presented the bride and groom with a framed picture of the choir, with a message of congratulations signed by everyone on the back. They were also given a CD; a studio recording of their wedding music performed by Gordonstoun’s Chamber Choir. Following the rehearsal the choir left the rehearsal to banks of photographer’s opposite the Kirk eager to get a picture of anyone entering or leaving.
On the day of the wedding the walk from The Palace of Holyroodhouse to Canongate Kirk was quite special as literally thousands of onlookers lined the streets cheering and waving flags. Before entering the church the choir assembled for a photograph, again with banks of cameras opposite. Once inside the Kirk the relative calm was a lovely respite from the excitement of cheering well-wishers and camera clicks outside. The Chamber Choir were placed on the organ loft at the back of the church, above the isle with a full view of the whole congregation. We possibly had the best seats in the house for celebrity spotting!
The Gordonstoun Choir sang two anthems: John Rutter's 'A Gaelic Blessing' and Greg Jasperse's arrangement of 'Amazing Grace' (a piece that saw this choir reach the televised semi-finals of the BBC Songs of Praise School Choir of the Year Award 2011). The choir also supported the congregational hymn, national anthem and closed Rev. Neil Gardner's benediction with an 'Amen' by Orlando Gibbon's. The three hymns were Jerusalem, Be Thou My Vision and Love Devine, with a descant and harmonisation of the last verse written especially for the ceremony by our very own Musician in Residence, Tom Smith