The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will take place this Saturday at St George’s Chapel in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The music for the occasion is being organised by the chapel’s director of music, James Vivian, who will be leading the Choir of St George’s Chapel throughout the service. The choir is made up of 23 boy choristers from St George’s School and twelve lay clerks.
‘The choristers, lay clerks, organists and I are very much looking forward to this exciting day and are pleased to be performing at the service music chosen by the couple,’ said James Vivian.
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Another choir will also be in the spotlight on the day: The Kingdom Choir, run by Karen Gibson, is a Christian gospel group based in the South-East of England. The ensemble has been performing internationally for over 20 years.
An artist who is becoming almost as talked about as the wedding itself is cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who will also be featured in the service. Prince Harry saw the former BBC Young Musician winner perform at an event in London in support of Antiguan charity, The Halo Foundation. 2018 has already proved a momentous year for Sheku, with his debut album Inspiration receiving critical acclaim and even entering the top 20 pop charts. The 19-year-old cellist has also performed twice at the BAFTAs, the only musician to have been invited to play two years in a row.
‘I was bowled over when Ms Markle called me to ask if I would play during the ceremony, and of course I immediately said yes!’, said Sheku. ‘What a privilege. I can’t wait!’.
Sheku will be joined by Welsh soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, organist Luke Bond and David Blackadder, the principal trumpet for both the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the Academy of Ancient Music, as the chosen instrumentalists for the occasion.
The orchestra for the wedding is made up of musicians from the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the English Chamber Orchestra and the Philharmonia, under the baton of Christopher Warren-Green, who has previously conducted the weddings of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall.
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State trumpeters from the Band of the Household Cavalry will also be playing throughout the ceremony.
The Spice Girls and Elton John are rumoured to be performing at the reception in Windsor Castle.
Decca Records are releasing a recording of the Royal Wedding, which will also be available on all streaming services, available later in the day. It will be released on disc in stores globally from 25 May.
