Minggu, 18 April 2021

Prince Philip funeral singer Miriam Allan's father 'over the moon' as daughter performs - ABC News

Miriam Allan stood out as the only female in a four-person choir that sang at Prince Philip's scaled-back funeral at the weekend, but that was no surprise to her father who was watching proudly from home in Newcastle.

Chris Allan said he knew his daughter had incredible talent from when she was a "musically precocious" six-year-old.

Mr Allan said his daughter had been performing Jubilante Deo, Benjamin Britten's sacred choral composition sung by Ms Allan and the choir at St George's Chapel in Windsor, since she was a child growing up in New South Wales.

But before she became a soprano of international renown, Mr Allan said she would perform it at Newcastle's Christ Church Cathedral.

"The Britten that they sang during the service, she's been singing since she was a little kid," Mr Allan said.

An older, bearded man sits at a piano, beaming.
Mr Allan says he was incredibly thrilled to see his daughter singing at the funeral.(

ABC Newcastle: Sofie Wainwright

)

'Musically precocious'

Mr Allan said his daughter had used him as a "sounding board" since her move to the UK in 2003 and he had watched as her career blossomed while she toured the world with leading orchestras and choirs.

He has fond memories of accompanying his daughter on piano, as a composer, and singing.

"I played for her and gave her music to sing and so forth when she was younger," he said.

He said the pair had performed on some of the same programs since she was a teenager.

Their most recent joint performance was in August 2019 for the Newcastle Music Festival — at the cathedral where it all began.

A female singer performs onstage, watched by an older man.
Miriam and Chris Allan last appeared onstage together in Newcastle in 2019.(

Supplied: Photolook Newcastle

)

Ms Allan is married to Richard Bannan, a lay clerk [choral singer] of St George's Chapel.

She is a singing coach at a preparatory school in Westminster and also teaches singing at a boarding school in Oxfordshire.

Mr Allan said he was thrilled to be watching his daughter perform at the chapel as the Queen's husband of more than 70 years was laid to rest during a sombre and moving service.

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Australian soprano singer Miriam Allan was part of the choir which performed at Prince Philip's funeral.

He said she had performed for the Duke of Edinburgh himself on several occasions.

"She used to sing years ago in the Royal Guards Chapel and Prince Philip would often come to that, so she had sung for him a number of times," Mr Allan said.

A man and woman, the latter with a cat on her lap, sit on a couch looking at a laptop.
Chris Allan and Georgi Laney watch Miriam Allan's performance.(

ABC Newcastle: Sofie Wainwright

)

Sworn to secrecy

Mr Allan said he only found out his daughter would be singing in front of Queen Elizabeth and other members of the royal family when she called him on Friday afternoon.

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He said he was expecting it to be her husband who would sing.

"She said, 'Someone in the family is going to sing and it's not Rich','" he said.

"Incredibly surprised, incredibly thrilled, it was a great opportunity for her.

"We were over the moon."

Mr Allan watched the performance with his wife, Georgi Laney, in their Newcastle home.

"To have that ability and to be able to keep your composure under that stressful condition when you know lots of people are watching is pretty good," he said.

People sit on a couch watching a video on a computer of a woman singing.
Mr Allan said he was "over the moon" when he heard the news, but could only watch on in a similar fashion to the rest of the world.(

ABC Newcastle: Sofie Wainwright

)

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiZWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmFiYy5uZXQuYXUvbmV3cy8yMDIxLTA0LTE5L3ByaW5jZS1waGlsaXAtZnVuZXJhbC1zaW5nZXItbWlyaWFtLWFsbGFucy1wcm91ZC1kYWQvMTAwMDc3NTMy0gEoaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYWJjLm5ldC5hdS9hcnRpY2xlLzEwMDA3NzUzMg?oc=5

2021-04-18 20:28:19Z
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