In all the hubbub of the royal baby’s arrival, you may have missed the announcement of the music that Prince Harry and Meghan have chosen for their wedding. The day will include two choirs, a young cello player and trumpets!
“Both Prince Harry and Ms. Markle have taken a great deal of interest and care in choosing the music for their Service, which will include a number of well-known hymns and choral works,” said Kensington Palace in a statement. We expect Prince Charles has helped advise them, as a known lover of music with a keen ear.
Prince harry and meghan markle will marry at st george’s chapel, windsor, and allow 2600 members of the public into the castle confines (shutterstock)
Music at the royal wedding will be under the direction of James Vivian, who is the Director of Music at St George’s Chapel. He will conduct the chapel choir of 23 boys to sing at the royal wedding, along with 12 lay clerks for the lower octave parts.
Luke Bond will play the organ, and 19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, of Britain’s Got Talent fame, will also be playing; he was personally asked to perform in a call from Meghan Markle.
Sheku must have impressed the couple with his talents; in fact, Kensington Palace said that Prince Harry saw Sheku play at an event in London last year and he won BBC Young Musician Of The Year in 2016.
He said he was “bowled over” to receive the call. “Of course I immediately said yes,” he added. “I can’t wait.”
19-year-old cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, winner of 2016 @BBCYoungMus. Last June, Prince Harry saw Sheku play at an event in London in support of the work of Antiguan charity the Halo Foundation. pic.twitter.com/C3QSfcbXJl
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) April 24, 2018
The Kingdom Choir will also perform, led by conductor Karen Gibson; they are a gospel group, which will add another dynamic to the ceremony, held in the historic St George’s Chapel.
The Choir is made up of a group of British artists dedicated to creating a sound that demonstrates the community they share, and has been performing both nationally and internationally for over 20 years, explained the palace release.
Conductor Christopher Warren-Green will also be in charge of an orchestra for the day, made up of musicians from the National Orchestra of Wales, English Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonia; Welsh soprano singer Elin Manahan Thomas will accompany them, as well as trumpeter David Blackadder.
State Trumpeters, from the Band of the Household Cavalry, will provide ‘ceremonial support’, and of course we know there will be a large military presence on the day, too.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have chosen the music for their wedding. Picture by ROTA / i-Images
2 comments
Thank you for this information. It sounds like it will be vibrant and beautiful music.
The music for the day sounds magical and I can’t wait to be swept away….
The music for the day sounds magical and I can’t wait to be a part of it from my sitting room…..