A brief encounter with BBC Singers and Royal Ballet Sinfonia

In a wonderful musical collaboration, Director of Music Mr John Mountford and Reception teacher Harriet Mountford joined the BBC singers and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia to direct and sing solos respectively. They spent two days in the Henry Wood Hall recording the music of Thomas Hewitt Jones, a professional composer who is also a peripatetic teacher and parent at King’s.

The focus of the sessions was a recording of Regards from Rochester, which Rochester Choral Society commissioned and premiered last March for their 150th anniversary. They also had time to record Thomas’s setting of The Night Before Christmas and four of his carol compositions.

The BBC Singers loved the humour in Thomas’s music and the Royal Ballet Sinfonia enjoyed getting their teeth into Regards from Rochester and its powerful orchestration. The sessions had a great energy, spurred on by the comedic jibes from the studio box.

A special mention goes to Bobby L (Lower Sixth), who assisted in the session as part of his work experience.

Mr Mountford expressed heartfelt gratitude to Thomas Hewitt Jones for recording the King’s Senior Choir CD in the Cathedral last term, which has been a great success, bringing joy to many over the Christmas season. Thomas’s involvement in teaching music theory to Prep and Senior pupils, as well as cello to the Pre-Prep pupils, adds tremendous value to King’s music programme.