Truro Cathedral’s 35 choristers aged 8-18 are rallying schools and choirs from around the world to sing a new joyful but poignant song by Peter Hobbs and Sir Tim Rice, directed at world leaders as they gather in Cornwall in June for the 2021 G7 Summit. An emotive music video has been produced, and over 13,000 voices have signed up so far from 18 countries. Sing2G7 is releasing the Gee Seven single this Friday, and with schools throughout UK already learning the song, numbers are rising daily, with 50,000 being the target by the time Summit begins.

The Sing2G7 initiative, led by volunteers, is inviting young singers across the globe to join Cornwall’s children to deliver a musical message to world leaders. The singers are being encouraged to learn, sing and share their renditions of Gee Seven. Free sheet music and other music teaching resources can be downloaded today via www.sing2G7.org and singers are invited to post their recordings of the song online using the hashtag #sing2G7 and tagging in @Sing2G7. The organisers also plan a ‘mega-zoom,’ joining together for a global rehearsal just before the summit in June.

Sign-ups to take part range from individuals in lockdown and school choirs, to Brownie packs and a South African township choir. Other international sign-ups include singers in Alaska, Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, Japan, Portugal, Malaysia, Malawi, the UAE, South Africa, the USA and Vietnam. Over 130 primary schools in the UK are taking part, as well as 16 cathedral choirs.

In addition, free cross-curricular classroom resources on G7 agenda themes and leadership are available for schools in the form of an Edu-pack created by teachers at Sing2G7 partner Truro School.

A recording of the song by the Truro Cathedral Choristers will be released by Right Track Records on Friday 7th May and will be available on Spotify and iTunes. All of the choir’s royalties will be donated to UNICEF’s Give the World A Shot campaign: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/unicefs-covax-appeal/backers#start.

About Sing2G7

The Sing2G7 initiative is the brainchild of Chris Gray, Director of Music, Truro Cathedral and Esmé Page, Founder of the charity Cornwall Hugs Grenfell, who worked together in 2018 on the song Grenfell From Today which saw over 6,000 voices worldwide join in musical solidarity to mark the first anniversary of the Grenfell Tower fire.

‘Kids today have a desperate need to speak to power and be heard and this is a joyful but powerful way for them to do that,’ says Page. ‘I envisaged the G7 summit filling our screens but, for our children, remaining remote (despite happening on our doorstep), neither relevant to them nor interested in their ideas. My ten-year-old is frequently in tears over the plight of endangered species and feels powerless: ‘Who will listen to me, I’m just a child!’ he says. Our vision is that this song will amplify children’s voices, creating such a loud, united, joyful sound that their powerful message will be un-ignorable and their voices take their rightful place, at the heart of discussions which decide their future. As leaders prepare to sit down to talk, children of the world will be standing up to sing. This year has been especially disempowering and isolating for children, so it’s poignant that music can bring together children of all backgrounds and cultures in this shared purpose. We hope their voices will indeed be heard!’