Gabrieli Roar is a partnership between Gabrieli, the choir and period instrument ensemble founded and led by Artistic Director Paul McCreesh, and a number of British youth choirs. It aims to provide support to young choirs, particularly in low income areas and says its goals are to ‘help young singers to excel, develop their confidence in their own abilities and nurture a love of choral music’.

The Vinehill Trust, of which John Rutter is a trustee, is a charity devoted to supporting health, heritage and music in the UK and has awarded the sum of £1m to Gabrieli. To be distributed over the period of five years, the financial package will help support the infrastructure needed to introduce 30,000 young people to choral singing. Ely Cathedral was the setting of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius last year as 250 state-school students performed alongside the instrumentalists and singers from the Gabrieli Consort. The performance was held at the end of Gabrieli Roar’s residential course entitled ‘Angels and Devils’ and a selection of the students were invited to record Elgar’s work at Fairfield Halls which was distributed by Signum Classics on April 26.

Gabrieli Roar will soon be announcing their 2024/25 programme, which will include a summer residential course, a performance of Verdi’s Requiem and a tour of notable UK cathedrals. Gabrieli Roar has also received support from the Leverhulme Trust, the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Philip King Charitable Trust.