While there was much to be excited about, there was also lots of hard work to be done. Many new pieces were to be learnt, and some old favourites (need I mention “Dulaman”?) had to be learnt by newcomers, with only nine months to do so, on top of everything else that GCSE and A-Level students must prioritise, including the difficult task of coming up with (and carrying out!) original fundraising ideas . But, we did it! On June 24th, we turned up at the gates of Wallace High School, suitcases in tow, just hoping that the bathroom scales were right and that the suitcase did only weigh 19 kilograms, eagerly awaiting 2.15 pm (New York time), when we would touch down in the States.

Upon arrival in Newark, we were whisked away onto a coach for a further three hours of travelling to reach our first destination – Boston, Massachusetts. Since the only food we had eaten that day was breakfast, and plane food, we decided to go in search of hot food. I can only imagine how pleased the waiters were to see fifty hungry teenagers.

Next morning, we hopped onto another coach for our very own tour of Boston, during which we made pit stops at the Public Library, Harvard University, and the harbour where we even got on to a World War II navy boat. Soon after, it was time for our first performance in the Old North Church, where we performed McGlynn’s Christus resurgens, Dulaman and Gaudete, Britten’s Hymn to the Virgin, Suantrai, Mary’s Magnificat and Allegri’s Miserere.

The Honours group also performed as a separate group with two of Rutter’s Childhood Lyrics. For dinner, some of us headed to the famous Sam’s Café, where everybody knows your name… And, in keeping with a Capella tradition, we did a spot of spontaneous singing on the side of the street, after which we decided it was time to start heading back to the hotel. Of course, we managed to retain a less fun tradition –not knowing our way back. We got there eventually, around half past midnight or so.

On Friday morning, we were onto another bus by 10 a.m., ready to hit the Big Apple. On arrival in New York, we went on a walking tour to see the sights. We went to Times Square, to shop and take multiple photos, and spent a considerable amount of time in Macy’s Department store. We had intended to climb to the top of The Empire State Building, but unfortunately there was a lightning storm that night, preventing us from doing so.

On Saturday, we left the hotel and walked to St Mary’s Times Square to begin our rehearsals for our first concert in New York. During the very short break between the rehearsal and the concert, some of the choir found the time to squeeze in some shopping, keen to make the most of their trip to Manhattan.

The concert, which began at 1.15pm, consisted of our full repertoire, which included all of the pieces we performed in Boston plus the impressive Gloria by Rutter. It went spectacularly, and I can honestly say that it was the best performance that I have experienced in my 3 years in Capella.

After the performance we piled into the small shop across from the church to buy our lunch, which we ate in Central Park. After lunch, we spent a few hours shopping in FAO Schwarz, Abercrombie and Fitch and various other stores on Fifth Avenue. Since the weather had cleared up since Friday night, after dinner we made our way back to the Empire State building and queued up alongside many, many other people for a couple of hours until we reached the observatory platform. While the climb was tedious at times, it was well worth it to see the city that never sleeps all lit up against the backdrop of the night sky.

Next morning, we made our way to Grand Central Station to do another performance. We waited in the front hall while Mr Falconer went to find out exactly where we would be singing. We found out that we weren’t technically allowed to put on a concert, but we went ahead and sang Gaudete, Christus resurgens, Dulaman and Miserere in the entrance hall. We may have been pushing our luck with the Miserere though, as it was fifteen minutes long, however, the security guard was kind enough to let us finish before telling us to stop.

During the afternoon, we went on a guided bus tour to see the New York sights that would be a little rough on the feet to walk to. We saw the Statue of Liberty from a viewing point, where the Honour’s group sang The Owl and the Pussycat and Thomas Tallis’s If Ye Love Me. After, we made our way to Ground Zero and St Paul’s Church, the only building in the area not affected by the tragedy. It also acted as a sanctuary to those in need, and contained letters of hope from all around the world and photos of those lost. There, we sang Hymn to the Virgin, which felt especially poignant and left few of the choir with dry eyes.

That night, we headed back to Times Square to decide what we were to do for the night. The original plan was to see a Broadway show, but as some people didn’t want to, and we wouldn’t all be able to get tickets, we decided to split into separate groups. Some went to the cinema, some went to an off-Broadway show “The Fantasticks” and some went to see “Avenue Q”. The shows were unbelievable and it was fantastic to have been a part of the Broadway experience, especially as we had been unsure whether we would be able to get any tickets at all.

All too soon came Monday morning. We awoke early to do our packing before getting the subway to 116th Street for our final performance in St John’s, the largest cathedral in the world – an extremely impressive building. During our performance here, we sang the Miserere and Hymn to the Virgin, the Honours Group performed If Ye Love Me and the boys gave another rendition of Dulaman. After we finished up we got talking to some of our audience, who had actually travelled all the way up to see us in an actual concert after hearing us in Grand Central Station! We spent the rest of the day doing some last minute shopping before making our way back to the hotel to catch our bus to Newark airport. We even managed to squeeze in some more singing before boarding the plane for an overnight flight back to Belfast.

The whole week was an amazing experience, and we were very privileged to have been given the opportunity. Thanks to all who supported us during our nine months of fundraising and the teachers – Mr Falconer, Mr McGeown, Ms Bill, Mrs Mitchell and Mr Saunders – for making the trip possible.

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“We all had amazing times as members of the chamber choir, Cappella, and enjoyed performances here in Northern Ireland and across Europe. Whilst many of us are still involved in music at university, we felt it would be a great idea to get together in Wallace again and we have lots of innovative ideas for the future of the society.

We really hope that former students of Wallace who are interested in Music will come along and join us – there’s definitely no age limit and as far as we’re concerned, the more the merrier.” 

 Head of Music at Wallace, David Falconer , went on, “I was delighted to catch up with the former students and am looking forward to meeting more in the coming weeks. The first date for the Past Choristers’ Diary in the school’s Christmas Concert which will take place in Lisburn Cathedral on 12th December.

I would encourage any part pupils who were involved in the musical life of the school to come along to the next meeting at 7.30 pm on Monday 29th September.

Further information can be obtained by via the school’s website or by phoning the school office on 92672311.”

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Director Ashley Fulton explained, “The show is set in New York’s High School for the Performing Arts and explores the lives of a diverse group of students. Audiences will enjoy the catchy songs such as “Hard Work” “There She Goes” and of course “Fame” and I’ve no doubt they will be impressed by the high energy dances which have been choreographed by Sam Magee. I have been so impressed by the enthusiasm and talent of the cast – it has been a pleasure to work with such a committed group of young people.”

Head of Music in Wallace, David Falconer, the show’s Musical Director went on,“We’re delighted that local primary schools will be coming along to our preview on Wednesday 26 September and I’ve no doubt that our black tie Gala night on Friday 28th will be a memorable occasion. The performance on Thursday will be signed for those with hearing difficulties. I hope that all fans of musical theatre and all those who remember the styles and sounds of the 1980s will come along to support this wonderful show.”

Jordan Humphries, a lower Sixth student who plays one of the principal characters, Carmen, concluded, “Rehearsals have been a lot of fun and the entire cast is looking forward to performing in front of our friends and families.”

Tickets for the show which runs from Thursday 27 – Saturday 29th September are now available from the school and anyone wishing to book their place at this unforgettable production should telephone the school on 92672311

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Set in New York City’s celebrated High School for the Performing Arts on 46th Street ‘Fame-The Musical’ is a bittersweet but ultimately inspirational story of a diverse group of students as they commit to four years of gruelling artistic and academic work.

Director Ashley Fulton explained, “We are delighted to have been granted the rights to such a dynamic show and we hope that fans of Musical theatre will come along to one of our productions in September. Rehearsals are well underway and I am thrilled with the energy and commitment displayed by the cast.”

Musical Director David Falconer went on, I am pleased to announce that a professional orchestra will be playing for the Fame, ensuring that this will certainly be a memorable production. Anthony Fairley who has worked for the National Concert hall in Dublin is designing our set and choreography master classes have also been arranged with professionals from London’s West End.”

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Head of Music in Wallace, Mr Robert Thompson, spent a week in Lincoln Cathedral last year with the Priory Singers and the Director of Music in the Cathedral, the second largest in the UK, is Charles Harrison, former Director of Music at St George’s Belfast.

Wallace Lower Sixth pupil, Edward McMullan, counter tenor and Organ Scholar at St George’s recently spent a week’s work experience working with Charles Harrison in Lincoln. Edward explained,

“My week in Lincoln really confirmed my desire to follow a career in Cathedral Music. I hope to take a gap year following my A levels and then study music at university. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of cathedral life on work experience and the Cappella weekend was superb too.”

Wallace’s Cappella choir was joined on their tour by several ex pupils whose musical lives are continuing to flourish. Mr Thompson explained,

“Our tour provided an excellent opportunity for our pupils to learn from others who are following musical careers. Former Wallace pupils Neil Moore is Assistant Director of Music at Hereford Cathedral School, Jack Kinkead is studying at Trinity College Dublin and a lay clerk in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, whilst Ruth Sedgewick is studying at Stranmillis College and singing with the Priory Singers. We were also joined by Reggie Patterson, former Head of Music in Limavady Grammar and by one of the province’s leading soprano soloists Rachel Thompson. We were also delighted to welcome John Crothers, a former teacher at Wallace, who is currently teaching in Paris. Our Evensong pieces were very challenging. We chose Charles Wood’s Expectans Expectavi because of the Northern Ireland connection and I was delighted that Edward McMullan accompanied us on a number of our pieces.

The tour provided an excellent opportunity for our pupils to perform in a professional environment where standards and expectations were high. We also had the opportunity to hear the choir of Girton College Cambridge – our pupils can now aspire to their superb standard. The whole experience has been extremely beneficial, particularly for those who are studying Music at GCSE and A Level.”

Year 11 pupil Katie Reid added, “We all really enjoyed the tour, building firm friendships between year groups and having the chance to perform in such a magnificent historic place. We’d all really like to thank Mr Thompson and Miss Bill for organising such a fantastic trip.”

Mr Thompson concluded, “This week sees Cappella commence a busy rehearsal schedule for a Vivaldi concert which will be staged here in Wallace on 21 and 22 April.”

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The evening also gave Wallace pupils and their friends and family from across Lisburn an insight into the work of the two charities with Susan Cunningham from Meningitis Reserch and Sylvia Jeffrey from Macmillan Cancer Relief showing videos and highlighting how the money would be spent. Both charities were extremely appreciative of the much needed money and were delighted at the innovative fundraising method. The difficult task of deciding on the winners rested with the evening’s three judges, all Northern Ireland music experts.

Belfast City Beat DJ Maurice Jay and an experienced performer in bands and professional theatre as well as former sound engineer for bands such as Marillion, T’Pau and Hazel o’Connor, chaired the judging panel andhe was ably assisted by Wallace’s Head of Geography Torry McGahey, a member of The Illegals and Pete O’Neill from Fortune Cookie Music who was formerly a bassist with Therapy and Joyrider.

Lisburn’s Closer Studios sponsored the first prize – an incredible full day’s recording time – which was won by “EGO” – Lower Sixth pupils Peter Noble, Ryan Mitchell, Gregg Taylor and Peter McCauley who have been working together for eighteen months. their performances of Incubus’ “Wish you were here” and their self penned ” The Feeling” were met with great applause from the 400 strong crowd.
Second prize, an opportunity to perform in Londonderry’s Nerve Centre Schools’ Gig was won by “Tranquil Lies” – Fiftth Years Eddie McMullan , Jay Kerr, Peter Coleman and Clark Phillips, who were also thrilled to hear that their song ” Honest! ” had won £50 of Matchetts vouchers for its originality.

Clark Phillips commented, “We’re really looking forward to theNerve Centre gig after our GCSEs as it will widen our fan base. It was great for Wallace to give us all this fantastic opportunity.”

The Award for Best Novice band went to the youngest competitors, “Two Sides of Nothing”, including second years Harry Bateman, Chris Scott and Jordan Watson along with third year Scott Phillips, who covered songs by Red Hot Chilli Pepppers and Offspring. Lisburn School of Music sponsored their prize , a gig at the Island Centre on 18th March.

All of the bands taking part were of an exceptionally high standard and congratulations must go to “Sane Revolution” , “Antidisestablshmentarianismers”, ” Freeway” “Peace and Love” and ” Myth” for their superb performances.

Mention must also go to well established bands “Six Star Hotel” and ” Phoenix R” who gave of their time so freely and “Special”, a Lower Sixth band comprising some 15 pupils whose rendition of ” Head ,Shoulders, Knees and Toes” in various languages provided some light hearted entertainment.

Colm McCann from the Northern Ireland Music Industry Commission attended the event and was unreserved in his congratulations and praise , ” The Battle of the Bands was a great success and the turn out by students was a credit to the school’s sense of morale and camaraderie. It was also great to see that students had been assigned tasks in the production of the event. I commend Wallace’s support of and confidence in the eight competing bands.I believe that bringing an acceptance of pop music into the educational arena can help the artistic development of the students and can increase motivation an all areas of life.”

Organiser of the event, Music teacher Mr Jonny McGeown, was delighted by its success, “The purpose of Wallace’s Battle of the Bands was to afford our pupils the opportunity of developing their performance, stagecraft and musical skills as well as their personal strengths. In encouraging creativity and motivation through preparation for this event, we were also encouraging learning for life. I’d like to thank all our prize sponsors as well as Wallace’s Parent Teacher Association who very generously funded lighting and PA equipment for the evening, allowing ticket sales profit to go directly to the two charities.”

Wallace ’s busy Music Department is now getting ready for its annual Spring Concert, to be held in the Schhol’s Assembly Hall on Monday 15 March.

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Ego Gregg Taylor (vocals), Ryan Mitchell (guitar),
Peter Noble (bass), Peter McCauley (drums)

Tranquil Lies Clark Phillips (guitar and vocals), Jay Kerr (bass)
Peter Coleman (guitar), Michael Harpur (drums)

Myth Lee Maxwell (vocals), Steven Hull (guitar),
Hannah Gordon (bass and vocals), Johnnie McDowall (drums)

The competition gave the bands an opportunity to perform on a professional stage, with full concert sound and lights, to an audience of their peers. The panel of three judges represented different aspects of the local music industry, including Sonia Mac from Cool FM.

Ego, Tranquil Lies and Myth each gave great sets of their own songs, and rose well to the occasion. The judges commented on how strong all three were, and felt that there could have been at least four finals from around the country!

Here’s hoping for next year!

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