A schoolgirl from Norfolk received glowing praise for her performance in the final of a prestigious BBC competition, where she narrowly missed out on top spot.
Alice Platten, 16, of Norwich, was one of the final six in this year’s BBC Young Chorister of the Year, which is run by Radio 2 and Songs of Praise.
The Norwich School A-Level student won her place in Sunday's final after impressing judges in the semi-final with a stunning rendition of Rutter’s A Gaelic Blessing.
After the show was aired on Sunday, she said: "I loved every minute of the experience and it was great to meet new people, take part in a celebration of music, and represent Norfolk.
"It's all been amazing and the feedback from people who watched the show said how positive it had been and how much they enjoyed the music - which means so much.
"It was really surreal being one of the finalists but having experienced it before, I was determined to enjoy it."
Broadcast during the afternoon of Sunday, December 11, Alice wowed the judges with a “beautiful” rendition of Rutter's Angel’s Carol.
Aled Jones described the performance as one of “glorious soaring notes”.
The panel of expert judges, Katherine Jenkins, Howard Goodall and David Grant, decided who took home the title and trophy before Alice, of the other finalists, took to the stage to join the winner for a special perform of 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel' with Aled Jones.
Judge David said of her performance: “That last high note was exquisite. You really are the princess of pianissimo singing. I have nothing other than praise.”
While Howard added: “It’s a beautiful performance. It was a very, very good performance indeed.”
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After her performance, Alice spoke with one of the show’s presenters, the Revd Canon Kate Bottley, and said she thought it had gone “quite well”.
She added: “I was really pleased with the judges' comments. They were very kind.”
Alice is the daughter of Norwich Cathedral’s Canon Precentor, the Revd Canon Aidan Platten. She has been a chorister there for the last five years after previously singing in the choir of St Mark’s Hamilton Terrace, London, and plays the piano and violin.
It is the second time that she has impressed the BBC judges as she previously reached the BBC Young Chorister of the Year semi-finals in 2020.
The competition’s runner-up was Luca Brugnoli, 12, from West Sussex, while Naomi Simon, 16, a former York Minster chorister, was named the winner.
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