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29 April 2024
On Sunday 28 April, The Girls’ Schools Association was thrilled to bring together hundreds of choristers from across the country for the Go Bold 2024 Choir of the Year final, hosted in the stunning auditorium of Wimbledon High School GDST.
This year’s event was particularly precious, bringing girls together to perform ‘Singing for Joy’ a specially commissioned piece, exclusively created by judge and composer Simon Lole in celebration of GSA’s 150th landmark year.
Hundreds of girls, with parents and carers, journeyed from far and wide with their passionate music teachers for the Grand Final to play their part in a spectacular ‘Battle of the Choirs’ in a bid to win the 2024 crowns for Junior and Senior Choirs.
GSA received thousands of brilliant entries and whittling them down to the finalists was no easy task as the calibre this year was outstanding. It was a true testament to the talents of the girls who made it to the auditorium on the day.
Filling the room with exquisite song, our 2024 finalists were:
Finalists
Junior Finalists
Wimbledon High School GDST, The Old Vicarage School, The Abbey, North London Collegiate School, Howell’s School, Llandaff GDST, Headington School, Francis Holland School (Sloane Square), Blackheath High School GDST
Senior Finalists
South Hampstead High School GDST, Sherborne Girls, Redmaids’ High School, Queen Margaret’s School, York, Bedford Girls’ School, Badminton School
Judges Simon Lole and Alun Jones were treated to catchy renditions of songs that included: Ar Hyd Y Nos (All Through the Night), Psalm 150, It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Sing, Sing, Sing, You Make Me Feel So Young, Tota pulchra es, Ubi Caritas, and many more.
Winners & Runners-up
Girls of all ages made raised the roof in joyful song and in a stellar collective performance as the Massed Choir of ‘Singing for Joy’. Magical. After much deliberation by the judges GSA was delighted to present the awards to this year’s winners and celebrate the runners up. Huge congratulations!
South Hampstead High School GDST – our Senior Choir of the Year 2024!
Salve Regina – Elberdin
Las Amarillas – Hatfield
Redmaids’ High School – Senior Choir of the Year 2024 runner up
Be Thou My Vision – Trad. arr. D Forrest
You Make Me Feel So Young – M Gordon & J Myrow arr. J Althouse
North London Collegiate School choir – our Junior Choir of the Year 2024!
Night of Rainbows by Darius Lim
Witches’ Song by Douglas Coombes
Blackheath High School GDST Junior Choir of the Year 2024 runner up
In Time of Silver Rain by Sarah Quartel
It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Sing, Sing, Sing – Music by D. Ellington, Words I. Mills, Arr. T. Anderson
Follow along on GSA’s social media channels to see more footage and photography of the day.
Well done to everyone who entered, took part, and won this year, we can’t wait to do it all over again in 2025!
Thank you Wimbledon High School GDST for your generous support and hosting of this year’s event!
The Judging Panel
Simon Lole
Simon Lole started his musical education as a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. For over 30 years Simon worked as a professional church musician, including time at Croydon Minster and St Mary’s Collegiate Church in Warwick, culminating in the positions of Organist and Director of Music at both Sheffield and then Salisbury Cathedrals.
Simon now leads a varied freelance career. He is very active as a composer, having more than 100 published works and regularly writes new commissions. Simon is also very busy as a choral and orchestral arranger and is Musical Director for a few well-known artists.
Simon is in great demand as a choral director. He runs choral workshops across the globe, has been a regular Musical Director and organist for BBC Radio 4’s “Daily Service”, and is one of BBC TV’s “Songs of Praise” main conductors and arrangers. He has been accompanist and vocal coach for the BBC’s “Young Chorister of the Year” competition for many years as well as on the panel of judges. He also directs the music for ITV’s annual Christmas Carol Broadcast.
Since 2010, Simon has been Director of Music at St. Mary’s Church in Swanage, Dorset.
Alun Jones
A former choral scholar, freelance singer and ad hoc member of the BBC Singers, Alun studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama where he won the Pernod Arts Award for the most outstanding student of the year and further awards from the Welsh Arts Council and Arts Council of Great Britain.
Alun began his teaching career at The Cathedral School, Llandaff, Cardiff and the United World College of the Atlantic. Following positions as a Music Master & Choirmaster, Director of Studies and Deputy Headmaster in GSA Girls’ Schools, Alun was appointed Principal at St Gabriel’s, Newbury, in 2001 where he remained for 15 years. Alun was elected President of the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) in 2015 when he represented the Heads of the finest independent girls’ schools in the UK.
Alun retired as Principal of Chetham’s School of Music, Manchester, the UK’s largest specialist school of music in 2020. He worked closely with the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester Camerata, Halle and BBC Philharmonic Orchestras, promoting Manchester’s vibrant classical music scene and as the “go to” place for talented young musicians.
