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!

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?

Another fulfilling day here in Venice. After a much-needed sleep and a really hearty breakfast we set off on a bus to Venice before riding our first Vaporetto down the Grand Canal. It was really breathtaking to see those views for the first time. We took a lot of photos on that first boat trip! We arrived at San Giorgio Maggiore and climbed the tower (actually, I must admit, there was a lift!) to be greeted by panoramic views of the highest order. What a stunning place this is! A quick impromptu performance on the steps leading to the church attracted an intrigued bunch of tourists, some of whom attended our concert later in the evening. 

After a 5:30am start we finally arrived in Venice, all in one piece and with a great sense of excitement. We checked in at the Hotel Elite (which thankfully has a piano for rehearsals!) and then headed into Mestre for the first pizza of the tour. Italian pizza really does live up to our expectations! The boys then enjoyed some down time in their rooms, where they have already made themselves very comfortable... and in some cases very messy!