Musicians from Felsted School hope to prove ‘classical is cool’ when they perform in the Britain’s Got Talent live semi-finals as part of the Chineke! Junior Orchestra.
Sana, 16, her brother Shesh, 14 and Charles, 16, are all members of the dynamic British youth orchestra – which aims to create opportunities for black and minority ethnic (BME) musicians in mainstream orchestras where they are currently underrepresented.
The three teenagers, who are all music scholars at Felsted School and are also part of the Junior Guildhall Orchestra and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, auditioned for the ITV talent show at the London Palladium at the start of 2020.
The Chineke! Junior Orchestra received a standing ovation from all four judges, with Simon Cowell saying their talent was “off the chart”.
The group of 11 to 22 year olds received four ‘yeses’, putting them through to the live shows.
There was a long wait for the musicians as coronavirus delayed the live shows, but they were delighted to hear they had been selected as one of just 40 acts through to the semi-final.
Sana said: “It was a fantastic experience performing to the judges and to such a large audience and then progressing to the next round.
“We have really enjoyed this experience so far and are looking forward to the next stage of the competition.”
The Chineke! Junior Orchestra is currently rehearsing for the semi-finals which will be airing on Saturday evenings on ITV and STV.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here