Day 6: Pancakes, Pipe Organs, and Professionalism

Today began with something of a rare treat: a lie-in. After a relentless schedule of early starts and packed performance days, the pupils were able to begin the day at a more leisurely pace — and what better way to do that than with an outstanding breakfast?

Our hotel continues to exceed expectations in every way, and breakfast has become something of a highlight. One staff member in particular has gained near-legendary status for her warm welcome and determination to ensure that every pupil is well fed. Several pupils took full advantage, consuming a frankly astonishing number of pancakes. Should news break of a national shortage, I fear some of our group may be implicated.

Following breakfast, we held our usual morning briefing — this time not in a meeting room, but in our newly adopted “Third Floor Corridor HQ”. As we have the entire third floor to ourselves, pupils emerged from their rooms and took their places on the carpet outside for what has become a rather efficient and well-attended corridor briefing. It's informal, but it works remarkably well — no distractions, great focus, and the slight absurdity of it all seems to keep everyone smiling.

Once briefed, we headed into Toronto proper for a rehearsal and performance at the Cathedral Church of St. James — although not before experiencing the full force of Toronto’s traffic and construction chaos. What should have been a relatively quick journey turned into an extended crawl through the city’s tangled roads, but the pupils remained cheerful and we arrived in good time.

The cathedral itself is a beautiful venue, and today’s rehearsal was made all the more special by the presence of Seb, a tremendously talented Year 13 pupil from Royal St. George’s College. Seb had kindly agreed to accompany our lunchtime concert on the organ, and his musicianship was nothing short of remarkable. Already confirmed as next year’s organ scholar at Hereford Cathedral, with a guaranteed place at Oxford to follow, Seb is clearly destined for great things. What made it even more special was how generous he was with his time and energy — spending the day with us, rehearsing, performing, and chatting with our pupils about all things pipe organs. It was a real treat for them to see a peer performing at such a high level with so much passion and professionalism.

During the rehearsal, we also took the opportunity to run through some of the music we’ll be performing on Palm Sunday at St John’s Dixie — including some new repertoire. Meanwhile, the band had a productive rehearsal focusing on rhythm issues in Heart of Oak (we think we’ve cracked them…), and began preparing Amazing Grace for Saturday’s gala dinner — an arrangement which also needs to work alongside bagpipes. Miss Taylor has risen to the challenge of arranging for this unique combination, although Mr Allen remains convinced that bagpipes play in every key simultaneously, so it may not matter. 

Tommy on the piccolo, meanwhile, was reaching such heights that neighbourhood dogs may still be recovering.

Trombones & Euphoniums

Clarinets

Flutes & Saxophones

Cornets & Tuba

The Corps of Drums

We gave the pupils some free time at the gorgeous St. Lawrence Market in Old Toronto for lunch. The market is bursting with fresh produce — meats, cheeses, fruit, and handmade delicacies — and the pupils loved the chance to pick out their own (often quite healthy!) lunch. It was a refreshing and relaxed stop in the middle of a busy day, and much appreciated by all.

The lunchtime concert that followed was a lovely affair — a mix of locals, tourists, and a few very special guests, including some parents and relatives, and even an RHS alumnus, James Williams (Hawke, 2010), who travelled quite a distance to come and support the school. James recalled his time in the band’s drumline "back in the day" (and even confessed to a bit of Heart of Oak trauma!) but loved the performance and very kindly stayed to chat with pupils. These sorts of connections — between past and present — really highlight the strength of the RHS community, and we’re hugely grateful to our alumni office for helping to make them possible.

Alumni James  - with Deaglan (formally in Hawke)

There were some beautiful musical moments: James sang a solo in Litany to the Holy Spirit, Nova gave her first-ever choir solo in Be Thou My Vision — a lovely performance met with warm applause — and Hebe & Issey were, as ever, commanding and expressive soprano leads. It was a fantastic concert and a genuine pleasure to perform in such a beautiful setting.

After some relaxed group photos inside the cathedral, we made our way (slowly — thank you again, Toronto traffic) to Royal St. George’s College. Despite the delay, the pupils were superb. Within 10 minutes of arriving, they were in rehearsal mode, music ready, and full of focus. It was a real testament to their professionalism and adaptability.

The Sopranos

The Altos

The Tenors and Basses

The Tour Staff - including new recruit and recent arrival John!

This afternoon’s evensong was a full joint performance with the Chapel Choir of Royal St. George’s College — an all-boys’ school with an excellent choral tradition. Our combined choirs totalled around 75 singers, and the sound they created together was magnificent. Mr Allen and their Director of Music, Mr Webb, shared conducting duties, and together we sang a full choral evensong service, including the Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis, and Evening Prayer — a piece that hasn’t been in our repertoire for over a year. The pupils rose to the challenge, sight-reading beautifully and blending wonderfully with the treble voices from RSGC.

The feedback from audience members was glowing. Several commented on the professionalism, energy, and musical excellence of our pupils — not only in their performance but also in the way they carried themselves throughout the visit. While Mr Allen might occasionally challenge the idea of complete professionalism, there’s no denying that our pupils are consistently delivering performances of remarkable quality, with focus and flair.

The whole choir after the service - together with the Chaplains dog!

After evensong, we faced one final challenge — locating the coach in the residential maze of Toronto. As snow began to fall (yes, again!), pupils stood waiting in good spirits and leapt aboard with impressive speed when the coach finally arrived. We made it back to the hotel for a quick change before heading out again for dinner.

This evening was a “choose your own dinner” night, with pupils free to select meals from a local plaza filled with options — Denny’s, Thai, BBQ, McDonald’s, Indian, Chinese, and some epic desserts. It was exactly what they needed: a relaxed, informal evening to spend with friends in smaller groups, without the pressure of a full group meal.

Tomorrow is our first full day off from performing — and it couldn’t be coming at a better time. The pupils have been utterly outstanding through a packed schedule of rehearsals and concerts, and they deserve the break. With no uniforms, no music folders, and no instruments to worry about, they’ll spend the day exploring Niagara Falls, climbing the CN Tower (fog permitting), and enjoying a very cheesy but fun medieval-themed dinner show in the evening.

As I write this, all is quiet. The third floor is peaceful, the corridor briefings are over, the pancake tally is on hold, and the only sounds are the gentle snores of a very happy — and very tired — group of pupils.

Until tomorrow!