S.F.X. Boys' Choir, Liverpool facts for kids
The S.F.X. Boys' Choir was a famous Catholic boys' choir that sang from 1994 to 2007. They became well-known across the country. The choir gained fame when they sang on a new version of "Alltogethernow", a 1990 hit song by The Farm. They also made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998. They were the first and only choir to sing in all 49 cathedrals and abbeys in England and Wales.
Contents
History of the Choir
The boys in the choir were all students at the same school. There were 24 main singers (choristers) and 18 advanced singers (choral scholars). Each September, a head and deputy head chorister were chosen, along with 6 senior choristers. All the choral scholars had been choristers before. Some even became "honorary choristers" by staying in the choir for all seven school years.
Tours and Performances
From 1995 to 2005, the choir traveled around England and Europe. They sang in many famous buildings. They visited Italy three times, where they met and sang for Pope John Paul II twice, in 1999 and 2002. In August 2004, the choir went on a three-week tour of the Eastern United States. They sang in cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. In total, the choir performed in an amazing 90 different cathedrals worldwide in just 11 years!
From 2001 to 2005, the choir was a special guest at Windsor Castle. They were the 'choir-in-residence' for a week, singing services in St. George's Chapel. This tour often included singing services for a week at Westminster Abbey too.
Recordings and Special Events
The S.F.X. Boys' Choir released 8 music CDs. They also appeared on radio and television. For example, at Christmas in 2000, they sang Carols live for six evenings in a row after the Granada Reports news. They were often asked to sing at charity concerts, weddings, and funerals.
From 2001 to 2006, they led the Hillsborough Memorial Service at Anfield Stadium. Over 7,000 guests attended this important memorial. They also led the BBC Radio Merseyside Carol Service at Liverpool Cathedral, which was broadcast every Christmas Eve. In 2001, the choir had the special honor of singing a version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" to 45,000 fans before a football match between Liverpool and AS Roma.
Perhaps their most famous moment was being part of England's official song for Euro 2004. This was a special version of "Alltogethernow" with the band 'The Farm'. The song reached number 5 on the U.K. singles chart. The choir received a gold disc for their part. They even performed the song live on Top of the Pops in June 2004. They also sang it live at a friendly football match between England and Iceland before Euro 2004 began.
Achievements and Challenges
The choir was known as one of the best of its kind in the country. This was recognized in 2000 when they won the National School Choir Festival. This made them champions of England!
What made the choir special was that all 42 members were students at a regular school. Some joined without much experience in high-level singing. This makes their achievements even more remarkable.
However, after many years of success, the choir faced some difficult times. Due to unfair challenges, the choir's last performance in a cathedral was in October 2005 at Canterbury Cathedral. This led to two years of uncertainty for the choir's future. The choir sang only rarely in the following months. Even though the director of music was later cleared of any wrongdoing, he decided to resign. Sadly, the choir officially stopped performing in the summer of 2007. However, some of the original singers still perform together under a different name.
Choir Tours List
Here is a list of some of the places the S.F.X. Boys' Choir toured:
- April 1994 - Bury St. Edmunds, England
- April 1995 - Venice/Florence, ITALY
- August 1995 - Lincoln, England
- March 1996 - Kraków, POLAND
- July 1996 - St. Albans, England
- April 1997 - Paris, FRANCE
- July 1997 - St. Albans, England
- October 1997 - Canterbury, England
- April 1998 - Barcelona, SPAIN
- July 1998 - Oxford, England
- October 1998 - Canterbury, England
- April 1999 - York, England
- May 1999 - Bury St. Edmunds, England
- August 1999 - Rome, ITALY
- October 1999 - Canterbury, England
- April 2000 - Bury St. Edmunds, England
- May 2000 - Ripon, England
- July 2000 - Cologne, GERMANY
- July 2000 - St. Albans, England
- October 2000 - Lincoln, England
- April 2001 - York, England
- May 2001 - Bath, England
- July 2001 - Prague, CZECH REPUBLIC
- July 2001 - Windsor Castle, England
- October 2001 - Salisbury and Winchester, England
- April 2002 - Lincoln, England
- May 2002 - York, England
- July 2002 - Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey, England
- August 2002 - Rome, ITALY
- October 2002 - St. Albans, England
- April 2003 - HOLLAND and BELGIUM
- May 2003 - Lincoln, England
- July 2003 - Windsor Castle, England
- October 2003 - Salisbury and Winchester, England
- April 2004 - York, England
- June 2004 - Peterborough and Ely, England
- July 2004 - Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey, England
- August 2004 - Boston, New York and Washington, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- October 2004 - Salisbury and Winchester, England
- February 2005 - Norwich, England
- March 2005 - Durham, England
- July 2005 - Vienna, AUSTRIA
- August 2005 - Windsor Castle and Westminster Abbey, England
- October 2005 - Canterbury, England
