Cardinal Vaughan counts down to Christmas

Musicians and singers at Cardinal Vaughan have been counting down for Christmas with performances at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Royal Opera House and Royal Albert Hall, as well as putting on a series of concerts and carol services during December for the local community.

 Alongside many other notable musical achievements this term, Cardinal Vaughan has had four pupils - Patrick  Devlin, Frederick Mushrafi, Kaelan O’Sullivan and Toby Yates - appearing in the Magic Flute at the Royal Opera House.  Another pupil, Malakai Bayoh, is a soloist on The Nation’s Favourite Christmas Carols which Sky Arts will broadcast on Thursday 22^nd December. The show, which was recorded last week at the Royal Albert Hall, also features English tenor Alife Boe and the Orchestra and Chorus of the English National Opera. 

Malakai has also recorded two tracks for Classic FM – ‘O Holy Night’ and ‘Walking in the Air’ from The Snowman - with Classic FM presenter & singer Aled Jones. Classic FM describe Malakai as ‘one of the most gifted young singers of today.’ You can watch the recording here. Earlier this term, Malakai also performed to critical acclaim in Handel’s opera Alcina at the Royal Opera House.

As with every other year, Cardinal Vaughan musicians and singers also give a series of concerts & services during Advent. This includes the annual Carol Service at Our Lady of Victories on High Street Kensington, which took place on Thursday 15th December, and the Sixth Form Choir appearing at a fundraiser for PACT (Prison Advice and Care Trust), a charity which provides support and rehabilitation for prisoners, people with convictions and their families. 

Other performances in December have included the Cardinal Vaughan Big Band at the school’s annual Christmas party for local senior citizens and carol singing at Brown’s Hotel in Mayfair, hosted by Sir Rocco Forte, who delivered the keynote address at last month’s Speech Day.  The audience at Speech Day also enjoyed a memorable performance of Vivaldi’s Concerto for Two Cellos, while in October, the Schola Cantorum took part in a concert of Mahler’s 8^th Symphony which was listed as one of the top ten classical events of the year by Guardian music critic Fiona Maddocks.

Paul Stubbings, Headmaster comments: ‘Whether it’s taking to the stage at the Royal Opera House or the Big Band entertaining local senior citizens, music is an integral part of life at Cardinal Vaughan and we’re proud of the incredible quality of our singers and performers. The many and various musical achievements of our pupils this term is testament to both their hard work and the dedicated tuition provided by our talented teaching staff, led by Scott Price.’

Scott Price, Director of Music adds: ‘This Michaelmas term has arguably been one of our busiest ever, with pupils achieving some extraordinary things. Much of our success is built on the bedrock of our Schola Cantorum, which was founded to provide music for the school’s weekly Mass. Thank you to all our music industry partners - from the Royal Opera House to Classic FM - whose support and collaboration has enabled our pupils to perform at some of the world’s most celebrated venues, as well as having their performances broadcast on national TV and radio. I am very excited to see where 2023 will take us.’

For more information on the Schola Cantorum, please visit its website. 

Malakai Bayoh performing with Aled Jones 

Frederick Mushrafi, Kaelan O’Sullivan, Patrick Devlin and Toby Yates