The Eton College Chapel Choir, which is about to bring a concert to the Forbidden City Hall in Beijing next Wednesday evening, has received rave reviews from "The Times" in London as "A staggeringly good choir, strong, beautifully balanced, alert, intelligent, well tuned, passionate and sensitive."

"They are England's cream of the crop," said Nicholas Smith, a graduate from the music school of Cambridge University and an active Beijing-based conductor. Thanks to his go-between work, the choir's tour will come to China.

"I was elated by hearing this highly-motivated bunch of teenage boys singing Brahms, Taverner and Vaughan Williams," said Smith.

Since 1973, the quality of music coming out of British schools has risen dramatically, as shown by Eton's Chapel Choir, which has embarked on major international tours.

"But none of the tours has been as exciting as our 2002 trip to China," said Ralph Allwood,the choir's conductor and artistic director as well as one of England's most active and respected choral directors. "We have visited Hong Kong before, but have always felt that the Chinese mainland would be too vast and mysterious to contemplate."

Eton College, England's most famous public school, was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI nearly in the shadow of Windsor Castle.

Musical literacy and excellence has always been considered an essential accomplishment in anyone who wishes to be thought of as cultured, so Henry VI established a choir at Eton to sing at church services - 10 men and 16 boys. The traditions of this choir have continued virtually unbroken until today.

Eton's choral tradition is maintained by the regular singing of evensong and special religious services that form part of life at the school.

"Eton College Choir can legitimately claim that its choristers are among England's best," said Allwood.

"Most of its members were top choristers at cathedrals around the country, where they received the finest training and invaluable performing, touring and recording experience."

Younger students, who usually attend Eton on a music scholarship, form the choir's treble section. Later, as their voices change, they transfer to other sections of the choir - alto, tenor and bass.

Thus, the Eton choir follows the familiar English pattern and repertoire of a choir of men and boys, but with older students (plus an occasional faculty member) singing the men's parts.

"Many of today's Eton choral boys are tomorrow's soloists with very successful musical careers," said Allwood.

Singing with the Eton college choir also exposes its members to an incredible range of styles. "The choir and its conductor are willing to learn and experience all styles of music, irrespective of period or nationality," Smith said.

For this tour to China, Allwood immediately contacted choral conductors in China to request some Chinese repertoire.

The touring choir will be comprised of about 50 boys varying in age from 14 to 18.

At the concert, they will sing two Chinese pieces. Besides the two Chinese songs, the programme includes songs commonly heard in British churches and a few popular songs, too.

( China Daily March 22, 2002)