Below is an inspirational video giving some insight into the work with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen. Watch from about 3:30 minutes.

Our friends at The Sixteen singing Victoria's O Magnum Mysterium, which we will sing on 6th December at the Early Nights workshop.

Our next stop on the Grand Tour is the New World. Manuscripts by the Spanish Renaissance composer, Morales, found themselves in the hands of New World composers such as Juan Gutiérrez de Padilla. This resulted in an exotic mix of perfect polyphonic harmonies and infectious Mexican South American rhythms. We will also sing the beautifully haunting Sleep by American composer, Eric Whitacre. Sign up for this workshop by filling in the form below. We looking forward to seeing you there!

Saturday, 14th July 2012 | 10:30-17:00 (Registration from 10:00)
St Mary's Church, Battersea, SW11 3NA
Workshop Cost: £40 (including break time refreshments and music)

There is a wealth of staggeringly beautiful polyphonic music hidden in the shadow of the great Renaissance composers. Sure, we all love a bit of Palestrina, Victoria and Byrd, but there's so much more to enjoy! In this choral workshop, we will be singing works by lesser-known composers Schütz, Sweelinck, Obrecht, Isaac and Clemens non Papa.

These composers are all drawn from the old 'Holy Roman Empire' - an empire which existed from 962-1806 in Central Europe, governed by Holy Roman Emperor. So if you want a new choral experience, join us on 14th July by signing up below.

Saturday, 19th May 2012 | 10:30-17:00 (Registration from 10:00)
St Mary's Church, Battersea, SW11 3NA
Workshop Cost: £40 (including break time refreshments and music)

Have you ever wanted to sing the famous Allegri Miserere? You can, in London, on Saturday 19th May 2012 with Platinum Choral Workshops. This Mediterranean stop on our 'Grand Tour' will contain some beautiful early music by Allegri, Victoria, Monteverdi and Lobo.

On Day 4 we were pleased to see that the sun was back, thank goodness. One day of rain was easily enough! We all had a little lie in and some down time in preparation for a long day. We took the boat to Murano, past the cemetery island, where the boys were intrigued to learn that burials were restricted to this one island, in order to preserve Venice island..

We very much enjoyed some traditional ice cream. This was a real treat and pick-me-up before heading to the Museo Vetrario (Glass Museum) where the boys were incredibly well-behaved and enjoyed the wonderful glass sculptures. We met a German couple who were very excited to recognise us from the concert in St George’s - we are officially famous!

If there is one thing we have learnt about these boys, it is that they LOVE to shop! They bought some wonderful Murano glass gifts for their parents and siblings, as well as souvenirs for themselves. The teachers were presented with a lovely glass orchestra by some of the boys and another one of the choristers gave Scott another delightful gift. How fortunate we are! We travelled back to Venice for our last ‘Brek’ experience. Brek was a self-servie restaurant with food freshly prepared in front of our eyes. The boys really enjoyed the freedom of choosing their own three-course menu.

We then arrived at what must be the most beautiful spot in Venice. The Campo Santa Maria dei Miracoli was bathed in afternoon sun, highlighting the most stunning church on the canal side. On entering the church we were blown away by the entirely marble interior and the grand staircase leading up to the altar. We were informed that many people choose to be married there - it is easy to see why. As the sun set, it created an ominous glow in the church; the ideal setting for this last rendition of our concert programme, The Art of Sacred Music. The choir stood at the top of the altar steps; the voices and organ resounded majestically in the packed church.

“As we went through the week the experience became more exhilarating as the churches grew in size. I was a bit nervous but afterwards I got a rush of adrenaline and I felt so invigorated!” WS

“I was nervous the whole way through the concerts. My legs were about to give way, but after the last one I was so happy with what we had achieved!” TM

“I found it nerve-racking having to adjust to the different churches and organs, and also to perform in duets and trios in front of large crowds. But as we went from church to church it seemed to get easier.” DB

The tour came to an end today with our last Venetian pizza and special prize giving. The boys have worked so hard and we wanted to celebrate their achievements as a team before heading back to London for some well-earned recovery. Every chorister received a souvenir poster and concert programme, as well as some individual prizes for Most Enthusiastic Chorister, Chorister with the Best Manners and the Haribo Chorister of the Week. We were also thrilled to make two more appointments to the Senior Chorister Team. A fitting end to a most wonderful week of music, laughter and friendship.


I would like to thank my colleagues, Ruth Henson, Claire Jaggers and Richard Bates for the integral part they played. We simply could not have done it without them. I would also like to thank the boys' parents for supporting Platinum Boys’ Choir on this, our first European tour. Here's to the next one!

Scott Inglis-Kidger
Artistic Director

All I can say is rain, rain and more rain!! Having said that, Venezia is beautiful in any weather. Our day started at the Palazzo Ducale where the boys were inevitably fascinated by the armoury and the prisons, where we asked them to make themselves feel comfortable(!).  We were caught in a torrential downpour whilst queuing for Basilica San Marco. Miss Henson was a star; she stood with our rucksacks while we enjoyed the beautiful gold mosaics in St Mark’s. We had a great opportunity to teach the boys about the Venetian tradition of ‘Cori Spezzati’ (Split Choirs), which influenced the Anglican Choral tradition of our Cathedrals today. The boys were also very proud to hear that we had been invited to sing during Mass at St Mark’s. I declined the offer this time... but another time, perhaps?

We took the Vaporetto to San Stae where the boys ran off for an ‘on the hoof’ hot dog. Director and Organist arrived at the church to find a rickety old ladder leading up to the worlds smallest organ, dressed in the grandest case! We were shocked, to say the least, but some shrewd decision-making meant that we found a way to get the best out of the instrument and were finally ready for the rehearsal. The concert was a huge success - the boys sounded sublime in the 10 second acoustic - and the performance was a lot more relaxed and smiley. We had some beautiful duets and trios from a different set of boys - very well done to them! 

Following the concert we gave the boys a taste of freedom in the shops on the Rialto Bridge (STRICTLY guarded at either end by the staff, of course.). The boys bought some wonderful gifts for their parents and siblings and Scott was humbled to receive a wonderful gift - a Murano glass conductor - from some of the older choristers. They wanted to show their gratitude for Scott organising such a great tour. We are lucky to have such thoughtful children in Platinum Boys’ Choir! The evening ended with some much-needed down time and postcard writing before another good night’s sleep. 


NEXT: Final concert and the trip we’ve all been waiting for.... the Murano Glass Museum. Stay tuned for more!