Preparing for this concert at St John’s Smith Square was very exciting for both the choir and the Royal Holloway Chamber Orchestra as we had been given the opportunity to perform the world premiere of The Pearl of Freedom by Joanna Marsh. It was also lovely to be able to perform alongside our fellow students and to also join forces with the London Mozart Players. 

The programme opened with Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music and featured soloists from the choir. The orchestra performed Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 in C Minor led by Rebecca Miller before we re-joined them to perform a new commission by Joanna Marsh, The Pearl of Freedom. This piece was written to celebrate the centenary of the Representation of the People Act in 1918, where Royal Holloway alumna Emily Wilding Davison famously collided with the King’s horse. The piece was challenging to learn but we thoroughly enjoyed learning it and we have since gone on to record this alongside the London Mozart Players in Ealing, London.

Lydia Ward, Alto