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| Steel City Choristers performing at Berlin Cathedral |
Earlier this month, Steel City Choristers went on its first international tour – a week-long trip singing in Berlin and Leipzig. The choir of 24 children and 15 adult singers, based at St Mark’s Broomhill in Sheffield, was formed following the unexpected disbanding of Sheffield Cathedral Choir in 2020, with the aim of keeping choral music alive in the city.
Members of the cathedral-style choir sang a diverse range of works for hundreds of people in six performances at Berlin Cathedral and other Berlin churches as well as at St Thomaskirche, Leipzig. They entertained crowds along the way, staging pop-up performances of The Bear Necessities outside the bear cage at Berlin Zoo and on buses and trains. They also sang Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra for fellow passengers on their flights back from Berlin.
The choir’s trip to Berlin was organised through contacts made in language exchanges undertaken by the choir’s young members. The same members were also able to introduce their Berlin concerts in German.
Kate Caroe, Chair of Trustees at the charity, commented: “We sang works by German, Austrian and English composers, such as Abendfeier in Venedig by Clara Schumann, Nachtlied by Max Reger and several pieces by Anton Bruckner, as well as by Hubert Parry and Edward Bairstow.”
“A really important lesson for our children to learn is that music can bring people together, even across language barriers and different cultures. The trip was also about having a lot of fun with our singing: working hard as a team, getting to know each other and drawing the children on in their love of singing that we all share.”
The livestream of Sunday morning Eucharist from Berlin Cathedral with the Steel City Choristers is available on YouTube.
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| Steel City Boys |
Despite much generous support from trusts, foundations and individuals, the choir had to subsidise the trip from its core funds. A fundraising campaign called Here to Stay to mark the choir’s fifth anniversary is planned for later this year. The choir will be performing their music from the tour at a fundraising concert on 20 September at St Mary’s Church, Ecclesfield, at 7pm. No need to book tickets, donations will be gratefully received on the door.
Full details from the Steel City Chorister’ website.
