Richard Decker from The Queen’s Chapel of the Savoy Named BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year 2011
10.11.2011
A young chorister from The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy has been
named as BBC Radio 2's Chorister of the Year for 2011.
13-year old Richard Decker has been part of the choir at The
Queen's Chapel of the Savoy since 2009 and performed in front of
several members of The Royal Family over the last two years. As a
treble, Richard has also sung a number of solos, both at The Chapel
and at other prestigious UK venues.
Commenting on Richard's achievement, Master of Music Philip Berg
said: "This is a wonderful accolade for Richard and indeed for the
entire choir here at The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy. To perform at
this level of excellence requires a great deal of discipline and
hard work as well as talent. Richard has proved that he has all of
these qualities in abundance and we are very proud of him."
Four male and four female choristers were shortlisted for this
year's award and the final competition took place at St Martin's in
the Fields on 24th October. One female and one
male soloist received the top prize, which includes a trophy,
lessons with a professional singing coach and opportunities to
appear on national television and radio programmes throughout the
year.
The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy, located off the
Strand in London, is the chapel of the Royal Victorian Order, an
Order of Chivalry within the Sovereign's personal gift. The Choir
of the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy consists of approximately 20
boys exclusively provided by St Olave's Grammar School in
Orpington, Kent. Some choristers, including Richard, start at
The Queen's Chapel of The Savoy one year prior to joining St
Olave's, while still at primary school. These boys remain in
the Choir until their voices change and it is agreed by the Chapel
that they may leave.
The final competition, including a rendition of
'In The Bleak Midwinter' by the two winning choristers and former X
Factor winner Joe McElderry was played during Aled Jones' BBC
Radio 2 show on 6th November 2011.