Merchant Taylors’ Girls’ School in Crosby, Liverpool has won gold at the European Choir Games – the Olympic Games of choral music – in Sweden.

Representing Great Britain, the school’s Amabile choir were crowned winners of their competition and were awarded Gold.

Amabile took part in the event in Norrkoping, home of the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra, 160km south of Stockholm and performed over several days and received many plaudits for the quality of their performance.

The trip included a workshop with choral director, Michael Joseph Barrett who guided the girls through a series of warm-up challenges, which helped enhance their choral abilities and he then taught them a new song and style of singing, specifically Ke nna yo Morena, a traditional Sesotho piece from South Africa.

After winning the Girls’ Schools Association Choir of the Year contest in Warwick earlier this year, Amabile qualified and then reached the finals of the European Choir Games.

Bridget Ward, head of the Girls’ School at Merchant Taylors’, said: “What a fantastic achievement for Amabile. We are incredibly proud of the girls and our music staff for the enormous amount of work and preparation they have put in to reach international standard, building on their success at the national GSA Choir of the Year event.

“Over several months, the girls have rehearsed regularly and even changed some of their lifestyle habits in order to protect and preserve their outstanding voices, while also maintaining their academic studies and other school commitments. The whole of Merchant Taylors’ can be proud of their outstanding success.”