The first of a series of six concerts to celebrate Ushaw College’s 200th anniversary went off to a great response. The Grand Opening Gala Concert took place on Saturday 26th April in Ushaw College’s St Cuthbert’s Chapel, and featured Ushaw Singers, Bede Wind Philharmonic and Bede Chorus. Around 300 people were at the concert, including about 100 performers.

One of the high spots of the night’s entertainment was the premiere of ‘O Clap Your Hands’ by Ernest Young. Two seminarians at the College played solos: Lee Marshall on trombone and Gerard Callacher on organ, and the concert also featured The College ‘schola’ (choir) singing three pieces including a motet entitled ‘Jesus said to his disciples’, written by Tim Harrison, Director of Music at Ushaw. The programme also contained a selection of folk music and period pieces.

Tim Harrison was delighted with the way the concert had gone. He said: ‘It was a tremendous success, and a very, very good turnout. I don’t think there was an unhappy person in the whole audience. Everyone felt they had come to a cracking concert. There was something for everybody and there was not a dry eye at certain points. The band and choir sounded spectacular in the magnificent acoustics of St Cuthbert’s Chapel. Ernest Young’s ‘O Clap Your Hands’ was very well received’.