SINGING sensations from St Mary’s Worcester who have been performing together for only a matter of weeks will be competing in the finals of a national competition today.

The 21 girls from St Mary’s Middle School choir will take to the stage of the Barbican in London for the Barnardo’s School Choir competition.

The choir, which only formed in September last year, will compete against 11 schools from all over the country, with the two winning schools invited to sing again later in the year at a fund-raising concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Commenting on the choir’s achievements, Amanda Ballard, the director of music at St Mary’s, said: “This is the first competition our middle school choir have entered and we are immensely proud of what the girls have achieved in such a short space of time.

“Not only are we fielding some of the youngest singers in the Under 12 section, but we also have the youngest choir in the whole competition.

“The girls are very dedicated, attending early-morning and lunchtime rehearsals, and many of them are also taking part in the school's production of The Wizard of Oz which opens next Tuesday.

“Their dedication has certainly paid off and they are all looking forward to performing in London.”

The girls will be singing My Song is A Bird, which was composed by Miss Ballard for the choir’s first public performance in last year's Remembrance concert.

They will also perform the Dance-Duet from Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, made famous by the Vienna Boys' Choir.

As well as their competition pieces, the girls are preparing for their trip to Normandy, where they will sing another new commission.

Later in the year they will also compete at the Cheltenham Festival, where St Mary's regularly wins at Under 16 and Under 19 level, and there are hopes the Middle School Choir will complete the set with a win in the Under 12 section.