Boys at an inner-city school hope to hit the right note during a performance at one of the world's leading concert halls.

Barely six months after forming, St Bede's Catholic Grammar School choir has been invited to sing at the Royal Albert Hall in the qualifying round of one of the most prestigious musical events - the World Choir Games.

Pupils at the all-boys school are now preparing pieces in Latin, Spanish and French as part of their repertoire for the competition.

St Bede's music teacher Simon Ackroyd and Chris McIlroy, assistant director of music for the Diocese of Leeds, which runs Catholic schools throughout Bradford, formed the choir in September last year - and have been left stunned by the results.

Mr Ackroyd said: "They have come on tremendously and can are now singing in four-part harmony. The boys have a real sense of pride in the group and their own performance. They have worked very hard and are really starting to sound good."

The St Bede's choir will compete against schools across the country in the first round on Wednesday, April 16. The top two will win places at the finals in Graz, Austria, in July.

Mr McIlroy said: "Yorkshire is known for its male voice choirs but there are not many young groups. We want to change that and bring the next generation through.

"In some quarters it's considered counter-cultural for boys to sing but it is not. It is just as natural for boys to sing as play football. Girls can do well working on their own but very often boys excel when working as part of a team. They have done exceptionally well."

Twelve-year-old tenor Andrew Baxter, of Nab Wood, said he felt "very proud" that he would soon represent Bradford and St Bede's. He said: "I'm really looking forward to it - performing in the Royal Albert Hall will be a great experience. Being in the choir has made school better."

Jordan Edwards, 14, who sings in the alto range, added: "When you sing together it sounds good."

St Bede's head teacher Paul Martin said: "We are actually training the boys' voices and teaching them to sing in harmony. They get a lot from it in terms of self-esteem.

"The improvement they have made has been absolutely dramatic and they are very enthusiastic.

"Being in the choir is breaking down their inhibitions. I saw them when they first started and they were like a football crowd. Now they are really good and they know that too - you can see it in their eyes."

e-mail: dan.webber@bradford.newsquest.co.uk

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