New London Children's Choir with Artistic Director Ronald Corp
The New London Children's Choir was a children's choir which rehearsed at Highgate Primary School in North London and, latterly, All Hallows, Gospel Oak, giving singing opportunities to members aged seven to eighteen. Members were from London and surrounding areas. It was founded in 1991 by Artistic Director Ronald Corp, creating rehearsals in July 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic before briefly returning to performances in December 2023. The choir was officially dissolved in February 2024 according to Companies House.[1] As well as performing its own concerts, the choir sang with orchestras and ensembles in many concert halls and opera houses worldwide and features on several film and TV soundtracks and CDs.
History and organization
The choir was launched by its musical director Ronald Corp in 1991 with the aim of introducing children to the challenges and fun of singing and performing all types of music. It held its own concerts at the end of the Christmas and Summer terms, and also ran a residential Summer School during the holidays at a school in Berkshire. The choir appeared in major London concert halls working with symphony orchestras as well as in major festivals and concerts across the UK and abroad. It performed frequently at the Proms, made a number of film soundtrack and TV recordings, including the soundtrack to Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace and been engaged for concerts and recordings with all the major London orchestras and opera companies such as the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and sing onstage at the English National Opera.
The choir was organised into three groups: Training Choir (for children aged 7–10), Senior Choir (for children aged 11–18; this element is the main performing auditioned choir) and Youth Choir (ages 14+ mixed SATB voices).
Carmina Burana with the Various Voices Festival Chorus 2009
Other highlights include:
Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at The Royal Albert Hall, The Queen's 80th Birthday Prom, Mahler's Eighth Symphony at The Royal Albert Hall/Birmingham Symphony Hall with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Blackford's Voices of Exile at the Barbican, Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel at the Barbican, Tan DunA World Symphony for the Millennium (Albert Hall), yearly appearances at the BBC Proms, The Magic Pot- Lorin Maazel 70th Birthday Celebration at the Barbican.
The choir has performed in Italy (RAI Television), France, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and made its US debut in 2003 at the Lincoln Center, New York.
Recordings
The choir has appeared on a number of CDs in collaboration with other artists, as well as releasing discs of their own. Some of these include:
Composer/Artist
Title
Label
Distribution no.
Benjamin Britten
A Ceremony of carols; Friday Afternoons & Three Two part Songs
