The boys were the stars and only performers at St Mary’s Church in Twyford – a venue with an impressively long history. The village's first Saxon church was mentioned in the Domesday Book in 1086, replaced by a Norman church in the 12th century, with the current building sill preserving some of the early architectural features such as individual columns and windows.

It is well known that the boys in both the Pilgrims’ professional choirs invest a lot of effort in practising and performing in services, and develop an enviable work ethic from early on. On Saturday evening, the Qs gave us another reason to respect them by doing a good deed and graciously dedicating their time and voices to help raise funds for Winchester Go LD, a charity which enables adults with learning disabilities to live independent lives. The organisation is currently supporting 120 adults.

The song list was carefully curated and conducted by Mr Ben Cunnigham, Winchester College’s Assistant Director of Chapel Music, to represent English religious and folklore pieces from across the ages, from Henry Purcell’s seventeenth-century An Evening Hymn to Edward Elgar’s Ave Verum Corpus and Benjamin Britten’s arrangement of the traditional The Ash Grove, along with many others.

The boys sang with their hearts and moved the audience to tears, as observed by the proud parents. The more experienced Quiristers all had impressive solos and the whole choir performed the last piece unconducted to show off their skills.

The evening was complete when the whole gathering sang for our very own Q Riku, who turned 11 on the day, and had a crowd of people with him: Happy Birthday.

Review by Svetlana Karova
Q Parent