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The Fire Choir has landed!

Their 12-hour journey flight took them from Manchester to Heathrow and then on to JFK airport in New York for a trip that promises time for reflection, tributes to colleagues who lost their lives on 9/11 and also joy as the group perform at one of America's biggest and most prestigious venues, Carnegie Hall in a world premiere of one of composer Paul Mealor's works.

As well as a busy rehearsal schedule for the Carnegie Hall performance, there will also be visits to the 9/11 Museum, a chance for them to meet colleagues at Engine 10, Ladder 10 (the nearest fire station to Ground Zero). They are also planning a special tribute of their own for their fallen colleagues at the 9/11 memorial which they will share with you through this blog.

Since the choir started performing in 2013, following a BBC programme hosted by Gareth Malone where they got through to the final, the group have continued to sing and have gone from strength to strength, representing Cheshire Fire and Rescue at a number of prestigious events across the country.

During the show over 75 members of staff auditioned to be in the choir. The chosen group then got to sing a song specially written for them by Paul Mealor during the final.

This composer wrote music which was performed at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and he was so impressed by Cheshire Fire Choir that he invited them to sing one of his pieces at the world-famous Carnegie Hall in New York on February 15, which is the purpose of this trip.

The song will be sung in Latin and consists of four movements, which the choir have had to perfect in both tone and pronounciation. This will be the world premiere of this particular piece, entitled 'Stabat Mater', which will be performed along with  a number of other choirs from across the world. It's going to be a difficult song but the choir have spend hundreds of hours of their spare time perfecting the rendition and they are confident that they will do both Paul and their colleagues back in Cheshire proud on Monday February 15 when they perform in front of thousands of guests.

Today the whole choir is off to the 911 museum when they will find out more about that fateful day and their colleagues who sadly lost their lives. It will be a time for reflection and it will be an emotional experiences for all. In the afternoon they are heading to Engine 10, Ladder 10 to speak to firefighters there and have a look around the station. Our Area Manager Gus O'Rourke will become Area Commander for the day, which is his equivalent here.

You will be introduced to choir members to you in a later blog.

Last updated: Thursday 11 February 2016

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