Kendal's Amabile Choir triumphs in national choral competition (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Kendal's Amabile Choir triumphs in national choral competition

5:40pm Monday 11th March 2013 in News By Allan Tunningley

KENDAL’S Amabile Girls’ Choir has triumphed for the second time in one of the top national choral competitions.

The youth choir competed against 12 others at the 2013 Manchester Amateur Choral Competition.

Amabile, which won the same event in 2010, impressed judges with a varied programme of French music from the early 20th century, a song by Schumann and a contemporary Australian song.

Adudicator Georgina Morrison told the choir: "You sound as if you are one instrument. The breath control, the diction, the punctuation, it leaves me quite speechless."

The latest win is the second since Rachel Little's appointment as artistic director last September. The choir won first prize at the North Wales Choral Festival in Llandudno in November.

It was also Amabile's first performance since the tragic death of 15-year-old Helena Farrell, who had sung with the choir from the age of eight.

Ms Little said, "I am so proud of the girls. They performed beautifully and really gave their all after a very difficult couple of months. One of the highlights of the day was listening to the girls celebrating by singing through their entire repertoire of songs on the coach on the way home.”