A ‘Dream Come True’ for Boston Vocal Group
An article through the eyes of one of the young performers from Boston Music Centre
My name is Charlotte Evans. My journey with The Lincolnshire Music Service began around four years ago, in 2020. I joined Boston Music Centre as I heard about the achievements of the outstanding young musicians and the opportunities that their teachers and mentors provide. I became a part of Boston Pop Choir, rehearsing on a Wednesday from 4:30-6pm, and thoroughly enjoyed working along side performers of all abilities. After a few months, my family, peers, and staff at Boston Music Centre noticed the development in my confidence and technique vocally. I further progressed, joining Boston Youth Jazz Orchestra, rehearsing also on a Wednesday from 7-9pm. Over the past four years with Boston Music Centre, I have performed in many Christmas concerts, our very own Hootenanny held every year, and taken part in the yearly Music For Youth festivals.
Whilst being in Boston Youth Jazz Orchestra, I became part of a small vocal group, to which we named Harmony Heights. The group consists of five young female singers, ranging in ages from 16-18. We found that we all had a passion for music and specialise in vocals. As we had all been singing from an early age, it was proven through multiple concerts together that we all had dedication and enough experience to enter Music For Youth as a vocal group in March of 2024. Our rehearsals took place every Wednesday, willingly taking up the hour in between Pop Choir and BYJO. We originally entered the festival in March, with a song called ‘The Weather’ by the band Lawrence. This focused on five-part harmonies and complex vocal techniques.
The group later developed as we continued into the next round of the Music For Youth festival in July, performing at Symphony Hall in Birmingham. The arrangement in which we delivered was a gospel medley named ‘In Awe Of You/Yes’, by Trey McLaughlin. We enjoyed the experience of performing in such a high standard venue, also taking delight in the opportunity we had been given to sing in front of many talented individuals.
After such a successful night in Birmingham, Harmony Heights progressed onto the final round of the Music For Youth festival. We really could not have been more pleased with ourselves, as I remember our excitement once we had found out we had made it to The Royal Albert Hall. We all knew that the lead up to the performance would be challenging, as we were now into a new academic year, meaning two of our members had gone into further education at music institutions in London, and not all of us were able to rehearse together. Despite the setbacks, we managed to rehearse several times, ensuring that the piece was as high of a standard as possible.
I still find it hard to believe that we were standing on such a prestigious stage only a matter of weeks ago. Not only did the performance go extremely well, we also have so many people to thank for the guidance, teaching and support, as we truly made memories to last a lifetime. Our time at The Royal Albert Hall was unfortunately our last as a vocal group as we are all going onto various aspects of our next steps in music for the future. What a way to end the journey!
