Amesbury Preparatory School's Chapel Choir and Big Band recently returned from a successful tour to New York, where students gave performances, attended workshops and generally immersed themselves in the Big Apple experience.

Commitments included a performance by the choristers at the United Nations. They were then joined by the Big Band for concerts on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid and at the South Street Seaport.

The children attended two workshops. The first, on acting and auditioning techniques, was with a casting director and Broadway writer at Chelsea Studios, where they were lucky enough to meet a performer from the Lion King.

This was followed by another workshop inthe afternoon, this time on African dance.  The session was run by a professional dancer from the Lion King and focussed on dance styles used in the musical. The children went on to watch a performance of the show, which was followed by a visit backstage to meet the cast.

In order to raise funds for the tour and Amesbury's designated charities for this year (Macmillan Cancer Relief, Midhurst and The Rosemary Foundation), parents baked cakes and organised a jazz and supper evening. The entire school also contributed to the recording of a double CD which was released last Christmas. Prior to departure, the tour party also completed a New York "factathon" which involved learning 100 facts about New York, gathering sponsorship and being tested on their knowledge.

Mark Reynolds, Amesbury's Big Band director and professional musician, said "It's great to work with children who enjoy making music and performing arts as an essential part of life. The proximity to London means that they regularly work with a diverse mix of professional musicians."

Amesbury's director of performing arts, Charlotte Lush, told The Herald: "Our Chapel Choir has a tradition of performing and touring. It is one of only two school choirs in the country to be robed in red by royal consent." The choir, whose repertoire has always included both secular and sacred music, performs throughout the year, and in recent years has toured in France, Germany and Italy. "The opening of the school's performing arts centre this year has resulted in an expansion of the instrumental and dramatic dimensions of the performing arts, so it was important for us to broaden the touring schedule to include musicians as well as choristers."

The school's performing arts centre will be officially opened by George Martin, on June 23rd.