4 March 2013

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TALENTED youngsters from Chequer Mead’s Hawthorn School will be bringing their guitar ensemble and their senior choir to Chequer Mead theatre for a lunchtime concert on Tuesday 5 March.

Quintessential, formed in June 2012 under the direction of Ashley Hards, is a classical guitar quintet with an eclectic repertoire, and they use their performances to support the Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity.

The girls will be performing a relatively modern set at Chequer Mead, including a Beatles’ Suite and some contemporary blues pieces by the Croatian composer Miroslav Loncar.

The Hawthorn’s School senior choir draws on some 90 members. Within the senior choir is the Chamber Choir, overseen by Michael Burbidge as an ensemble made up of invited singers, aiming to develop confidence in performing some very complex music.

The children learn to blend their voices, thereby creating a rich sound. The choir has thrived and developed over the years, with successful past tours to Germany and Paris. Helen Hankey took over as Director of Music in September 2002 and during her tenure, the Choir has performed at The Grosvenor House Hotel in London to 600 people at a charity event for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, and participated in concerts at The Royal Albert Hall and the O2 arena.

Locally, they have performed at a number of venues, winning festivals and being proclaimed ‘Youth Choir of the Year’, and are now thrilled to be participating in the Barnardo’s Choir of the Year Competition.

2013 also brings the exciting challenge of touring in the Czech Republic to participate in The Young Prague Festival.

Tickets: £5. For more information contact the Chequer Mead Box office 01342 302000.