A SCHOOL choir from Hitchin have struck a chord with the award winning classical group Blake, after winning a nationwide competition to join them on stage for their 2011 tour.

The senior choir from The Priory School will join the Brit Award winners at the Gordon Craig Theatre in January to perform some of Blake’s well known renditions, including ‘Hallelujah’, ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Nessun Dorma’. Around 60 pupils at the school aged between 12 and 18 make up the choir.

“The students were thrilled to discover they were to be performing with such an internationally known group. I am extremely proud of them for being chosen to perform,” said head of music at Prior School, Lindsay Rowlands.

“They are an extremely talented group of students who rehearse twice a week, and much more leading up to this exciting opportunity.”

Choirs who were interested in performing were asked to send a YouTube video of the choir to the group’s official website, accompanied by a short description of their choir.

“The schools tour was part of the campaign for our second Brit nomination, but it quickly became much more than that to us,” said baritone Jules Knight.

“The kids were really engaged with what we did and we were blown away but the talent and confidence of some of them in the mock auditions that we held. With all that singing talent, we just couldn’t understand why choirs weren’t as popular as they used to be.”

The school choir are due to appear on stage, along with Blake and the Hertfordshire Community Youth Choir, on January 26 of next year.