Malakai Bayoh, aged 13, a pupil at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School and a member of the school’s Schola Cantorum, was given the “gold buzzer” from lead judge Simon Cowell on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent last weekend, meaning he goes straight through to the live shows at the end of next month. He performed Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s arrangement of Pie Jesu on the show. Previously, Malakai has performed at venues including the Royal Opera House and Royal Albert Hall last Christmas he performed two tracks for Classic FM with presenter and singer Aled Jones which have had 25 million interactions online.
The Schola Cantorum is the liturgical choir of The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, Kensington, serving the liturgy of the school and singing each week at the Wednesday morning school Mass.
The Schola also has frequent external engagements in concert halls and churches all across the UK and further afield. Locations the choir has sung recently include Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, St Paul’s London, Snape Maltings, Winchester Cathedral, Ely Cathedral, York Minster, King’s College and St John’s College, Cambridge, New College in Oxford, St John’s in Smith Square, Cadogan Hall in London, the Royal Festival Hall and the Royal Albert Hall.
Annual tours take place, with destinations in the past few years including Soweto and Cape Town, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, Washington, Venice, Paris, Lisbon, Rome, Salamanca, Madrid, Leipzig, Dresden, Krakow, Assisi and Barcelona.
Malakai Bayoh said: “I love singing at school and it was good fun auditioning for Britain’s Got Talent. All the team were really kind and Ant and Dec were funny. Thank you everyone at school for all your support.”
Paul Stubbings, Headmaster, said: “We’re tremendously proud of Malakai’s talent, work ethic and dedication. Everyone in the Vaughan community is willing him on and we look forward greatly to seeing how his musical career develops from here.”
Scott Price, director of music at Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School, said: “Malakai is a dedicated member of the Schola Cantorum, rehearsing diligently every day of the school term. He has a passion for Opera and a natural talent, both in singing and dramatising his performances. As he has demonstrated a number of times already, he is comfortable performing on the biggest stages. We wish him all the best in the live shows.”
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