Eton College’s choristers worked with a number of charities during a recent trip to India.
The 40 pupils of the College Chapel Choir helped to run a series of music workshops with nearly 150 children from some of Mumbai’s slums. The last of these workshops, held in a local school, was rounded off with a cricket match. The choir was assisting the charity Songbound which helps to bring music to some of India’s poorest communities.
Eton’s pupils also joined with The Symphony Orchestra of India for two concerts centred around Handel’s Coronation anthems. The second, which took place in the outskirts of Mumbai, was free for local residents to attend and, like the first, attracted an audience of around 800 people. It was part of an initiative by the Symphony Orchestra to bring western classical music to the suburbs of Mumbai.
Earlier in the trip the choir took part in a special concert organised by HH The Maharaja of Jodhpur, to raise funds for the Indian Head Injury Foundation. The boys were able to visit the Foundation’s hospital during their visit and meet some of the young patients there.
Tim Johnson, the choir’s Musical Director said: “Of all the tours we have been on in recent years, this is the one which moved and impacted upon us the most.
“It was an incredible experience – emotionally tough at times but also incredibly rewarding. We were glad to have been able to do our small bit to help these worthy charities in India. It also served to remind us just how important music can be and how it transcends national and cultural boundaries.”
