The Queen Was Singing Along

Singing is Catching..... and how we discovered it

 

The Queen is dressed in a room in the Queen’s House in Greenwich.

A group of young women carefully fit and adjust the hugely complex and carefully crafted dress and robes.

A young trumpeter plays a fanfare and the Queen walks out onto the balcony looking over the Palace Grounds, now Greenwich Park, and is instantly recognised by all. The attendant women burst into song. The Queen smiles, and does so frequently over the next hours, during a procession with the attendants through Greenwich, upriver by boat ending in Trafalgar Square and proceeding into the National Portrait Gallery.

But already as they stop near the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, attracting tourists and locals,  and the women sing again, the Queen is mouthing the words to the songs. Soon we can hear the Queen’s voice softly joining the choir on several occasions.

Unlikely?

Yes but true,

Because this was Queen Elizabeth

The First

Brought to life by

Performance artist Chris Green.

And the singing royal attendants

were the Amies Freedom Choir from Pan Intercultural Arts, part funded by Youth Music.

This extraordinary event was curated by Museums Greenwich and the National Portrait Gallery and was seen by thousands of people throughout the city (Her Majesty even went on the London Eye) as they processed. And perhaps the most surreal moment was when the “icon” of Queen Elizabeth walked through the Tudor Galleries of the National Portrait Gallery and serenely looked at portraits of “herself” and of those who surrounded the original queen at court.

The Amies Freedom Choir is comprised of young women who are all survivors of trafficking. They meet throughout the year with Pan’s music leaders/facilitators, Adwoa Dickson and Anna Samant, to bond through singing and use the transformative powers of group singing to regain confidence in themselves and a safe space to find enjoyment, creativity and the vision that they can find and fulfil a new place in society beyond the horrors they have experienced. It takes time for them to be confident enough to sing in front of so many, but after a year with our artists they were ready for it.

What did they feel about the day? here are some participants' remarks

“I felt privileged to sing in all these different places and really enjoyed the positive response from our audiences"

"It was amazing, a once in a lifetime opportunity"

"We were treated so well. Even the 'Queen' was so nice to us"

"It was memorable. I would love to do it again"

To keep the procession moving and the public entertained, they sang selections of songs from their repertoire and a new anthem composed by Peter Adjaye for this event.

And yes, it was not long before Queen Elizabeth the 1st, aka Chris Green, picked up the words and, for a short time, became one of the Amies Freedom Choir.

 

btw. Watching the day I realised why royalty and aristocracy of former times employed trumpeters. The power of the short rallying fanfare is amazing. It really does draw attention, focus everyone and create a space in time for things to be seen. From the Queen's House in Greenwich, to boarding the boat on the river, entering the National Portrait gallery, starting the final proceedings, the boy trumpeter who accompanied the Queen  achieved more than a public address system or megaphone could ever have done. People stopped. People watched.

learn more about Pan and its great work:       http://www.pan-arts.net