Merchant Taylors’ Company Associated Schools’ Concert

This weekend Liverpool became the host city to 11 schools from across the UK. Over 300 pupils joined together for a magnificent public concert at the Philharmonic Hall. The schools, which represent 9,000 pupils, are all associated to the Merchant Taylors’ Company in London and many of them were founded hundreds of years ago by this great Livery Company’s members, including Merchant Taylors’ Schools in Crosby where the original Boys’ School was founded by John Harrison in 1620.

The concert was a result of many months of meticulous planning and organisation. During the first half each school performed their own piece uniting together in the second half to perform Puccini’s Messa Di Gloria which was ably conducted by David Holroyd, the Director of Music at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School, Crosby. Rehearsals for Messa Di Gloria had only begun the day before, when most of the schools arrived at Merchant Taylors’ Senior Boys’ & Girls’ Schools in Crosby on Friday morning, but the end result was spectacular and demonstrated a wealth of outstanding musical talent.

Mr David Cook, Headmaster at Merchant Taylors’ Boys’ School, Crosby, said “we are extremely proud to have hosted, and participated in, this major event. I would like to thank the Company for choosing Liverpool as its venue. For many of the pupils involved this was their first visit to the City and I know from their reactions it has been a very positive one. It has been an enriching experience and immense achievement for everyone involved – one that I am sure they won’t forget. ”