Pavlo sings at D-Day 80 

When heads of state gathered at the British Normandy Memorial for D-Day 80 commemorations on 6 June, a member of the congregation at St John’s Church on Hills Road was not only present, but was amongst those who played an integral part in the ceremony.

Pavlo Petrychenko, aged 18, sang with the London Youth Choir (LYC) Chamber Choir, who performed a specially-commissioned anthem by Andrew Lloyd-Webber – Lovingly Remembered – with singer-songwriter Naomi Kimpenu and the Central Band of the Royal Air Force. They also sang the French and British National Anthems.

Pavlo joined the 500 strong London Youth Choir (LYC) in September 2023, having signed up for one of their auditions. In January 2024 he was also selected to become a member of their smaller Chamber Choir. He describes the choirs as ‘very welcoming’ and ‘like a big family’, offering excellent training and performance opportunities, including singing concerts at St Paul’s Cathedral.
 
Earlier this year members of the LYC Chamber Choir were invited to be part of ‘a special event to be filmed by the BBC’, which was an unexpected addition to their schedule. Only gradually did it become clear that this was connected with D-Day 80 and would involve a trip to France.

“It was an incredible opportunity to be part of a large, high profile event and to collaborate with experienced professional musicians,” says Pavlo. “The music itself was not difficult, which is good because there was hardly any time for rehearsal. Before the day we rehearsed once with Naomi Kimpenu and once with the RAF Central Band at their base in London.”

The Choir travelled to Normandy two days before the event, where there was high security. On the day they set off from their accommodation by coach at 5.30am, meeting up with other performers in a forest nearby, before eventually making their way to the Memorial site. They were seated in their positions for a couple of hours before the proceedings began, sweltering a little in the hot sun, wearing their LYC Chamber Choir outfits. They had an excellent view of the formalities as speeches were made and wreaths laid, and they sang their part on cue.
 
Pavlo, who is Ukrainian and came to the UK with his mother and sister to escape the bombing in Kyiv, says:

“The most important thing that resonated with me is that while paying tribute to the soldiers who gave their lives for freedom 80 years ago, President Macron personally drew a parallel between World War II and Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression and said that they are with Ukraine and will not fail us. It was a topic picked up by the speakers and President Zelensky himself was there.”

Pavlo had already decided that music would be his career before coming to the UK but now has an even clearer vision that he would like to work as a composer, particularly in media and film. He is looking forward to singing engagements this summer, including concerts with the LYC Chamber Choir and Royal Opera House Chorus and will take all the opportunities he can to learn and grow in the music industry.

You can watch the D-Day 80 event on BBC iPlayer at https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m001zy6s/dday-80-we-will-remember-them. The LYC Chamber Choir sings at 1:57:30 (Lovingly Remembered) and 2:07:30 (National Anthems).



Photo Photo above: LYC Chamber Choir with their conductor, Matthew Quinn, and soloist Naomi Kimpenu. Pavlo is standing just behind Naomi Kimpenu.

Photo below: LYC Chamber Choir with Matthew Quinn and Sir Tom Jones.

Photo credit: London Youth Choirs