SINGING sensations from St Mary’s Worcester hit a high note when they performed at a national competition.

The 21 girls from St Mary’s Middle School choir took to the stage of the Barbican in London for the Barnardo’s School Choir competition.

The choir, which only formed in September last year, competed against 11 schools from all over the country, with the two winning schools invited to sing again later in the year at a fund-raising concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

They were knocked out before the final stage of the competition but Amanda Ballard, the director of music at St Mary’s, said the girls made her “immensely proud”.

She said: “This is the first competition our middle school choir have entered and we are immensely proud of what the girls have achieved in such a short space of time.”

The girls sang My Song is A Bird, which was composed by Miss Ballard for the choir’s first public performance in last year’s Remembrance concert.

They also gave a rendition of the Dance Duet from Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck, made famous by the Vienna Boys Choir.

As well as the competition, the girls have also been preparing for their trip to Normandy, where they will sing another new commission.

Later in the year they will also compete at the Cheltenham Festival, where St Mary’s regularly wins at Under 16 and Under 19 level, and hopes are high that the middle school choir will complete the set with a win in the Under 12 section.