AN aspiring opera singer has made it to the semi-finals of the BBC Young Chorister of the Year.
Jersey College for Girls and Musical Originals student Rubie Le Masurier (14) is the youngest out of five semi-finalists and will sing the hymn Dear Lord and Father of Mankind during the programme.
The semi-final is due to be broadcast during Songs of Praise on BBC One later this November.
Rubie trained with Musical Originals since she was six years old and won the junior section of the Llangollen International Eisteddfod in 2023 at the age of 12.
Described by her singing teacher, Imogen Nicholls, as having a “rare and exceptionally beautiful voice”, Rubie received mentoring from singer and Radio DJ Aled Jones in preparation for the semi-finals.
She also got the chance to meet British singer Catherine Jenkins and acclaimed composers Yolanda Brown and Bob Chilcott.
Describing the experience, Rubie said she has become friends with the other young choral vocalists and is “really excited” to watch her performance on TV.
“It’s definitely the biggest competition I’ve done and you get noticed more, with it being broadcast on the BBC,” she said. “Other competitions I’ve done like Llangollen are much more closed off.”
Musical Originals founder Ms Nicholls, who was made an MBE in 2019 for her services to singing in Jersey, added: “This is a prestigious competition and several hundred young people entered from all over the UK.”
“That a young person from the small island of Jersey is in the semi-finals of this national competition is a wonderful thing.
“Rubie has studied with me at Musical Originals since the age of six. She has won platinum awards in the Jersey Eisteddfod every year and all the main trophies in that competition several times.”
Explaining her love for singing, Rubie said: “It’s the way you feel when you’re singing. You feel confident and in control. It’s empowering.”
Wanting to pursue a career in opera singing, Rubie hopes to study at Chetham’s School of Music after completing her GCSE studies and dreams of the Royal Academy of Music in the future.
The semi-finals of the competition will be broadcast on BBC One’s Songs of Praise on Sunday 24 November.
Three of the five semi-finalists will proceed to the finals, which will be broadcast on the same programme on Sunday 1 December.
