The glamour of the catwalk comes to Wimbledon
Plus: Could your child make it into this very prestigious choir?
Hello, Wimblers — good morning to you all. I’m loving the engagement at the moment! Keep up the good work and be sure to share and subscribe if you haven’t already.
Several people are on the brink of earning rewards from our recommendations scheme: a free coffee, a pot of local honey from the Rooftop Farm and a month to use Huddle’s coworking space for free when it opens in the Quarter. Check out the leaderboards here.
This week we have an interview with local resident Scott Inglis-Kidger, founder of Platinum Consort. While Platinum Consort is one of the UK’s most exciting professional adult choirs, dubbed a “vocal supergroup” by BBC 3, today we are discussing Platinum Choristers — the children’s choir he launched in 2020, which performs at some of London’s most prestigious concert halls and cathedrals. Auditions for children aged 8-18 are this Sunday — book a spot for your child here.
We’ve also had an idea this week that involves you, the readers! If any Wimbler has a home that they’d like to share with us, please get in touch: zak@thewimble.com. We’re looking to run a new section called “At Home With”, which features a reader’s home and a Q&A with the owner each week. If any of you are super proud of your SW19 residence, drop me a line.
Expect your usual snippets, some lovely recommendations (wine tastings are back!) and another shockingly beautiful property of the week.
Have fun and please subscribe if you haven’t already.
News snippets 🗞
👗 Sustainable Fashion Week launches this weekend at Wimbledon Quarter. There will be 12 fashion shows from local designers and eco-friendly brands as well as workshops, activities and pop-up showrooms along the mall. Scroll down to our recommendations to check out some more details, or visit the website here.
🥇 Sustainable Merton, a charity that focuses on tackling climate change through community projects and activities, has been shortlisted for Charity of the Year at the Merton Best Business Awards. The charity has been working hard to combat issues such as energy inefficiency, air quality and food waste in the borough. One of the highlights of their campaign is The Library of Things: a space in Morden Library where anyone can borrow items like gazebos, carpet cleaners and drills for as little as £1 a day. The winners of this year’s Business Awards will be announced at an event on Thursday. Read more here and check in with The Wimble next week to find out who won.
🍊 Abundance Wimbledon, a local organisation that helps people access fruit that might otherwise go to waste, hosted a Fruit Day last Saturday. The event was held in St Mark’s Church Hall and featured an apple press, activities for children and stalls from Sustainable Merton. Abundance Wimbledon do fantastic work and the money raised from the Fruit Day is used to fund their activities and donated to local charities. If you’d like to volunteer you can contact the team here: abundancewimbledon@gmail.com. To read more about the Fruit Day, click here.
Property of the week 🏡
This detached five-bedroom house somewhat reminds me of a shrunken down country estate. It’s the sort of home that one might retreat to with a few friends for a weekend of debauchery — lots of wine, loud music and passing out in the large garden (no Saltburn-style maze here, though). This elegant property could be yours for £4,950,000. Can’t afford it? Neither can I, but we can dream. Check out more photos here.
We meet the ‘rising star’ of choral music 🎻
Scott Inglis-Kidger — Wimbledon resident, conductor, and vocal coach — wants to keep classical music relevant and exciting in the 21st century. Dubbed the “rising star of the choral world” by Classical FM, he has been working tirelessly for the past 12 years as the director of Platinum Consort, an adult choir that has performed in some of London’s most prestigious venues, recorded a variety of albums and was even called a “vocal supergroup” by BBC 3. In 2020, he expanded the company to include the Platinum Choristers: a Wimbledon-based choir for children aged 8-18. I sat down with Scott to talk about Wimbledon, classical music and the importance of encouraging future generations to take part in the world of choral singing. Auditions for the Choristers takes place this weekend on Sunday 22nd September, book a spot here.
Z: What was the genesis of Platinum Consort?
S: I was told that I couldn’t sing when I was at school. By the time I was in sixth form, I was teaching myself music and then latterly applying for the Cambridge Choral Awards. I ended up singing for one of the most famous choirs in the world, the King’s College Choir. It was my experience and career that inspired me to found Platinum Consort, which is a professional adult choir and our main group. By “professional”, I mean that they get paid to sing — that this is their day job. Sometimes I have to say that because people don’t always understand what professional singing is.
When did you found the Choristers children’s choir?
We founded in 2020 which, as we know, was a tricky time to start anything. It was during the pandemic, but there was this real entrepreneurial spirit. At the time, the children were all being taught maths, English and science over Zoom. We knew we had to start the Choristers then because that’s when the children needed it the most. We launched on Zoom but restrictions were lifted and we moved to St Mark’s Church in Wimbledon. Now we hold our Sunday rehearsals at Wimbledon Guild’s Drake House because of how central it is in Wimbledon. It’s also a brilliant location!
Do you think your early negative experiences with music at school inspired you to create Platinum Choristers?
It’s always in the back of my mind that I was told I couldn’t sing — that I shouldn’t sing or even learn an instrument. I would dread to think that any child in the modern education setting would ever be told such a thing about anything. With the Choristers, I wanted to make sure that we gave children a proper musical education. Even if we only work with 20 or 30 children, that can still have a massive ripple effect.
How many Choristers are there at any given time?
There are about 20 boys and girls at the moment. There are two directors, myself and Hilary Punnett, and we run the boys and girls choirs separately, though we do mix and work together.
What’s the main aim of the children’s choir?
To celebrate the evolution of the voice: it’s about seeing a through-line from high-level grassroots singing to potential professional music and then into our adult workshops, which are usually later in life. One of our pupils could go on to study music at university and then come back and sing in our professional choir and join our workshops later in life. That’s the dream, really.
The Choristers offer a “cathedral-style education”. What does that mean?
Cathedral-style education usually involves a boarding school situation. They are sent away for years, they sing every day and they come back on the weekends or holidays. It’s such an all-encompassing thing and they have to be 100% committed: this is a child’s life for the next five years. What we’re offering is a slice of that life, that high calibre education, but just once a week on a Sunday during term-time. But we also want to make sure that prospective parents understand that Platinum Choristers isn’t an afterschool club. It’s a high-level sport. The children do need to have a certain aptitude to get into the choir because we’re asking them to be young professional musicians standing alongside adult professionals and the orchestra.
You’ve had some incredible successes with the Choristers over the past four years. What are some of the highlights?
We’ve worked with some big venues since our inception. We’ve sung at Southwark Cathedral. That was incredible. Recently, we partnered with the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court for our annual Christmas Event. The first one was last December but we’re doing it again this year. Singing carols in the Chapel Royal was pretty exquisite: candlelit, beautiful renditions and gorgeous readings. But our biggest achievement is our flagship concert in November where we perform Handel’s Messiah — a very famous work in the classical sphere — and this year it’s taking place on the 23rd of November in Smith Square Hall, Westminster.
CLICK ON THE IMAGE ABOVE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF THE CHORISTERS REHEARSING.
Classical music is often seen as a dying art form. How do you keep it alive, especially for the younger generations?
When you’re doing something that’s been done hundreds of times before, it’s your duty to breathe new life into it and to make it sound relevant and exciting today — as relevant and exciting as it was in 1742. It was electrifying to people’s ears back then and we want it to feel like that now. We don’t want it to sound stuffy, boring and staid. It’s about getting those young players to buy into that vision. You’ve really got to encourage them to be musical and to have fun with these ideas. I think when you have a passion and you’re the leader of a creative business, then it’s your duty to pass that passion on.
How does the audition process work?
The auditions are being held on the 22nd of September, which is this Sunday. Each audition is 20 minutes long. The children sing a hymn that we supply prior to the audition and then we do some simple ear tests and music tests, but these feel more like games: we keep them lighthearted, fun and to the point. Auditions can be scary, but we try to make them feel relaxed. The crucial thing is feedback. We’re so careful with the feedback. If they’re in, then of course it’s good news. If they haven’t quite made it, we word our response carefully and explain that the child should still be encouraged. We never let them think that they’re a failure for not getting into this choir.
Auditions for the Platinum Choristers take place this Sunday the 22nd of September. Book your child’s spot here.
Platinum Choristers are performing on the 23rd of November at Smith Square Hall — grab your tickets here.
Check out the work from the professional adult choir here and donate to the organisation here.
You can also listen to some of the Consort’s recorded albums on Spotify.
The Wimble’s to do list 🎯
👗 Wimbledon Sustainable Fashion Week — head over to Wimbledon Quarter this weekend to celebrate women in fashion and eco-friendly clothing. There will be runway shows, a sustainable market on the Piazza, talks with the featured designers and workshops by the A.R.K. Everything is free but some events will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so get there early! Check out the full itinerary here.
Where: Wimbledon Quarter
When: Saturday 21st September / Sunday 22nd September, 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM.
🎤 Saturday Night Comedy — let loose and crack a smile. This week’s Crack Comedy Club lineup includes Maureen Younger, Robyn Perkins, Stefano Paolini and Peter Flanagan. Tickets start at £14.32 and doors open at 7:00 PM, with acts going onstage at 8:00 PM. Grab your tickets here.
Where: Tunnel 267, The Broadway, Wimbledon
When: Saturday 21st September, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
🍷 Prams & Pinot — we’re back with another wine tasting. Take a stroll to Friarwood Wines this coming Monday and learn about four different wines as you sip away in the comfort of leafy Wimbledon Village. This event is for parents, so feel free to bring your prams along; Friarwood has plenty of space. Check out more details here.
Where: Friarwood Wines, Wimbledon Village
When: Monday 23rd September, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM.
🎀 Breast Cancer Information Talk — Wimbledon Guild is hosting a free and incredibly important talk on breast cancer and breast health awareness next week. This event is for Wimbledon residents who are 50+. There will be health professionals leading talks on the risks, signs and treatment of breast cancer. Booking is essential, so please call 020 8946 0735 or visit this website to secure your place.
Where: Wimbledon Guild Lounge, Worple Road
When: Tuesday 24th September, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Question of the week 🔍
Last week I asked you which blue plaque I left out from a previous edition. I said there would be a bonus point if you also knew where it was located. The answer: William Wilberforce and the plaque is located in Wimbledon Museum on Ridgway Road.
Q: On Wimbledon Common, there is an area known as “The Plain”. This area was used during the First World War for what purpose?
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you all so much for tuning in this week. I hope you enjoyed hearing about the Platinum Choristers — if your child is a keen singer or you know someone who might be interested, please head here to book an audition. I hope that everyone enjoys their weekend and the sporadic good weather. Please get in touch (zak@thewimble.com), send in your ideas, ping a photo of the week into my inbox comment below and drop me a line for our upcoming “At Home With” section if you’d like your property featured. That’s everything for now. See you next time!
I loved the sustainable theme in this weeks issue, important to highlight that Wimbledon and Merton are so involved with this. The open day on 22nd looks really intense too, and what a fantastic idea of Scott Inglis-Kidger to create the Wimbledon based choir Platinum Choristers for kids. I loved all the feel good news.