Finalists of Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year 2011 revealed

The eight finalists of the Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year 2011 have been announced. The final will take place on Monday 24 October at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London and will be broadcast on Radio 2 on Sunday 6 November. The evening is hosted by Aled Jones, presenter of Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday. 

One girl and one boy will each be awarded the title BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year 2011. This annual Radio 2 event is open to Choristers between the ages of 11 and 17 who sing regularly with their choir in services. 

The finalists are: 

Girls
Ella Rainbird-Earley, who sings at Coventry Cathedral
Helen Lacey, who sings at St Mary's Church, Lamberhurst, Kent
Katie May Allen who sings at Christ Church, Southgate
Alexis Cooling who sings at Wakefield Cathedral

Boys
Laurence Stannard, who sings at Coventry Cathedral and is also a member of the Coventry Blue Coat School Choir  

Peter Waters, who is a Quirister at Winchester College
Richard Decker, who sings at The Queen's Chapel of the Savoy
Donal McCann, who sings at St Peter's Cathedral, Belfast

Bob Shennan, Controller Radio 2, says: "As BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year moves into its 26th year, choral singing in places of worship remains an important part of our national life and Radio 2 is proud to be able to give these eight excellent young finalists a national platform, which for young choristers in previous years has provided that vital start to a professional singing career." 

The two chosen will each receive a trophy and tuition with a vocal coach. They will also get the opportunity to appear on national radio and television including Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday and Radio 4's Daily Service. 

The BBC Radio 2 Young Choristers of the Year 2010 were Ella Taylor from Sheffield and Liam Jones from Durham. Since gaining their titles Ella and Liam have appeared on a number of broadcasts including BBC One's Songs Of Praise, Radio 4's Daily Service and Radio 2's Sunday Half Hour and At The Foot Of The Cross. 

Another previous Young Chorister of the Year was Laura Wright, whose recent debut album The Last Rose recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra topped the classical charts for three weeks. 

Radio 2 is the UK's most listened-to radio station, with a weekly reach of 13.97m listeners. The network covers a diverse and rich mix from social action campaigns to religious programming, live concerts to the arts. The station broadcasts an unrivalled range of music covering many genres, from soul to organ music, show tunes to rhythm and blues. Committed to music, the Radio 2 Young Chorister Of The Year is one of the years' highlights, alongside the Radio 2 Young Brass Soloist competition and the British Folk Awards.

Radio 2 continues to feature religious programming as one of the core components of its schedule. The weekday Pause For Thought slots within Janice Long (12-2am), Alex Lester's show (2-5am), the early Breakfast Show (5-6.30am) and The Chris Evans Breakfast Show (6.30-9.30am) are heard by over 10m listeners every week, and Good Morning Sunday and Sunday Half Hour welcomes listeners with a mix of hymns and reflection. 

(Source : BBC Press Release)