Two local children of the Royal Greenwich and Blackheath Halls Youth Choir have been selected to join the Royal Opera House (ROH) Youth Company.

Elena and Jude, both aged 11, are among 18 new children to join the ROH youth company with a total of 50 members.

Elena says: 'So many good things have happened since I joined the Royal Greenwich and Blackheath Halls Youth Choir (RGBHYC) but I never thought I would get in to the ROH Youth Company. All the other children were really talented and it was very inspiring. I can't wait to find out what the first big project will be.'

The Royal Greenwich and Blackheath Halls Youth Choir was launched in November 2015 for children to learn classical repertoire as well as musicianship. It is for Royal Greenwich Borough’s gifted and talented young singers, working in collaboration with the Royal Greenwich Music Hub to recruit singers.

Jude added: 'When I joined RGBHYC I didn't want to stand out and the idea of getting to the Youth Company sounded too good to be true. My confidence has definitely improved this year and I'm really looking forward to learning new music and experiencing what being part of the Company will be like.'

Blackheath Halls is a wholly owned subsidiary the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Current Trinity Laban student Ashley Beauchamp is the Assistant Musical Director for the RGBHYC after previously being involved in Glyndebourne Youth Opera. Another current Trinity Laban student, Georgina Thorburn, is a chaperone and mentor. Other Trinity Laban alumni include choir manager Caroline Foulkes and chaperone and mentor Ben Ellis.

The Royal Opera House’s Youth Opera Company is a 50-strong group of diverse, talented children aged nine-to-13-years-old. Members come from across Greater London and from a wide variety of backgrounds. What they have in common is real potential as singers and actors; potential that they discover and develop through being part of the Company.

For more information on the Royal Greenwich and Blackheath Halls Youth Choir, please visit: www.blackheathhalls.com Based on information supplied by Alice White.