Wakefield schoolboy whose mum recovered from coronavirus to join Stephen Fry on TV choir performance

Molly Cochrane, 20 and Charlie Trueman, 13, were both invited to take part in the Virtual Choral Evensong created by The Rodolfus Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting and raising the profile of the choral tradition.

Charlie's mum Clare Trueman recently made a "mircaluous" covered from Covid-19 and a video emerged of her receiving ven a round of applause by staff as she was wheeled out of Pinderfields to go home.

The pair will join the Virtual Choral Evensong live on YouTube tomorrow evening (Tuesday, May 19).

Molly and Charlie were both invited to take part in the Virtual Choral Evensong created by The Rodolfus Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting and raising the profile of the choral tradition.

Both Molly and Charlie are finalists of BBC Radio 2’s Young Chorister of the Year competitions.

Soprano Molly has been singing with Wakefield Cathedral since she was seven, studied at Chetham School of Music and is now a Choral Scholar in her second year at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Charlie, from South Elmsall is a current chorister at Wakefield and is in his first year at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School.

The Virtual Choral Evensong Project will be broadcast live at 6.30pm on Tuesday on the Rodolfus Foundation’s YouTube and Facebook platforms and is the culmination of more than 950 video and audio submissions gathered from around the world.

The first lesson will be read by Stephen Fry who has chosen the story of David and Goliath, while Simon Russell Beale will read 1 Corinthians 13 for the second lesson.

More than 450 people voted for Hubert Parry’s I Was Glad as the anthem for the project, and it will be introduced by Alexander Armstrong with the semi-chorus section sung by members of VOCES8.

Other contributors include the Canon Organist Emeritus at Durham Cathedral, James Lancelot, and Andrew Lumsden, organist and Director of Music at Winchester Cathedral. The blessing will be given by the Revd Richard Coles.

The whole piece will open and close with Cosmo Sheldrake’s Evening Chorus, an improvisation using endangered British birds’ songs recorded in Dorset woodland.

Choral Evensong is the ‘song’ of voices sounding together at the ‘even’ point between the active day and restful night. It is sung around the world free of charge and free of religious commitment offering daily contemplation for people of all faiths and none.

The project, in association with ChoralEvensong.org, is in aid of the Cathedral Choirs’ Emergency Fund, set up by the Friends of Cathedral Music and the Ouseley Church Music Trust. The fund aims to raise £1million to support choirs that might not survive the Covid-19 lockdown.

Ralph Allwood, The Rodolfus Foundation’s musical director said: “I am touched by the range of singers who have contributed. I have had some wonderful letters telling me how contributing has brought them great joy during lonely lockdown. We so miss bringing beautiful music to beautiful buildings. We have highly experienced professionals and young choristers contributing, with some families singing together in their beloved evensong, so sorely missed at the moment. It has taken a month to come together and we hope it will give as much pleasure to those listening to it as it has to those putting it together.