Schools music extravaganza at the Royal Albert Hall

Date:   15/03/06

More than 2,000 pupils from Camden schools are making final preparations for the borough's bi-annual music extravaganza: Camden Music Festival 2006.

Held at the Royal Albert Hall on Tuesday 21 March, this amazing concert will feature a dazzling variety of music and performance from across the ages and around the world.

Children aged from six to 18 will take the stage in front of an audience of 3,000, including parents and special guests, in the only event of its type and scale staged by a central London council.

The prestigious bi-annual event, which is organised by Camden Council's Children, Schools and Families Directorate, has proved to be a huge success since it was first staged in 1998.

This year, the vast repertoire ranges from Mozart's Magic Flute, performed in collaboration with English Pocket Opera Company to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, to a Hindi song project bringing together primary and secondary schools.

Young musicians will sing and play in a range of ensembles and choirs, including the borough's Youth Choir, internationally acclaimed Jazz Band, Youth Orchestra, Concert Band, and it's Training Orchestra. Even Camden's most junior orchestra and choir, CAMBAND, and CAMJAM Voices, whose members are all under 10, will play an important part in the event.

Among those tuning up for the big event are nine year-old Olivia Williams, who is in Year 5 at Fleet Primary School and Seyi Adelekun, aged 12, in Year 7 at Camden School for Girls. Both youngsters will be singing the two solos in the Karl Jenkin's piece Adiemus, which will start the whole concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Olivia, who has been a member of CAMJAM since it started three years ago, said: "The piece I'm singing is very nice. The first time I heard it on a CD at rehearsal I was like, that is so cool! It's a very emotional song, really gripping. When I heard that I'd been chosen to sing a solo I was very excited. I've sung in front of audiences before but not as big as this."

Seyi, 12, told how she'd been practicing every day since being chosen for the other solo part two weeks ago: "I'm really excited about the concert - I'm nervous too but really looking forward to it. I want to make the most of it because it's a great experience. I love the song that I'm singing because it's a bit different."

Regular supporter Jon Snow, of Channel Four News, will compere Camden Music Festival 2006. The Mayor, Councillor Barbara Hughes will open the event and Children, Schools and Families Director, Heather Schroeder will close the evening.

Cllr Lucy Anderson, Executive Member for Schools, Camden Council, said: "The Camden Music Festival is a huge hit with parents and guests who enjoy a night of outstanding entertainment.  The Albert Hall is an ideal venue for us and you feel that it belongs to Camden for this one special occasion.

"There is a strong emphasis on music in Camden's schools and the council encourages this because it is key to children enjoying and achieving. This concert gives us the opportunity to put on show for just a couple of hours a wide range of high quality musical activities which take place in our schools and music throughout the year."

Tickets for the event, which runs from 7.00pm to 9.15pm, are virtually sold out. Some may be available to local parents via their children's school. Participants will be holding their final rehearsals over the next few days.

Notes for Editors

Participants will also be practicing at the Albert Hall during the day on March 21 and professional photographs of these rehearsals and the event itself will be available after the event. Press photographers may also be able to photograph the Albert Hall rehearsals by prior arrangement.

For more information on the Royal Albert Hall log on to www.royalalberthall.com.

§ Camden Council's education and children's social care services have been rated 'good' with 'excellent capacity for improvement' in the Annual Performance Assessment 2005 (APA).

§ Camden's primary schools have been rated 4th best in the country for 'value added' from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2, with one of its schools rated 6th best nationally. The 'added value' measures are described by the DfES as 'giving the best indication in these tables of schools' overall effectiveness', because it is a measurement of how much progress the school has helped pupils make.

§ Camden Council's Early Years and Sure Start Service won Beacon Status for excellence last year. Camden was the first local authority in Britain to devote its own resources to funding the roll out of Sure Start Local Programmes across the borough, and has also committed to setting up 12 Children's Centres by 2006. Camden last year campaigned for more Government support for affordable childcare. 

§ Camden has no schools in special measures (meaning they require urgent additional support) - only one of its neighbours can also claim this (Westminster). (As at December 2005)

§ Camden has passed on an extra £9m for education, which is seven per cent more than the Government recommended, for 2005/6.

§ Camden's secondary schools are extremely popular. The borough is one of the biggest net importers of pupils in London.

§ The council is putting almost £2m extra of its own money into radically improving school meals over the next four years 05/06 - 08/09.

§ The council completed or was progressing 46 different redevelopment, improvement and maintenance schemes at schools, nurseries and Sure Start centres in 2004/5. This capital investment comes on top of the £21m redevelopment of Haverstock School, which started in 2003.

§ The high quality of play and out-of-school childcare in Camden was recognised when Camden Council's Play Service gained a Charter Mark for the third time in 2005. Inspectors said "the range and depth of involvement in community projects over a considerable period of time demonstrates Best Practice in this area".  The Families in Focus project was singled out as a good example of this. 

Ref Code:   06/083
Contact:
    

Susie Rundle

020 7974 6021

susie.rundle@camden.gov.uk