Autumn Concert 2015

Musicians from J6 to the Upper 6th gave a wonderful concert in the Peace Memorial Hall on Thursday 19th November. All the girls are to be congratulated for their very high-quality and polished performances which delighted the large and appreciative audience. 

There was music to suit every taste in the concert. The Training Orchestra began with a witty performance of the Theme from Wallace and Gromit, and then they were joined by the Year 7 Choir for ‘Do-Re-Mi’ from the Sound of Music, to get everyone in the mood for the school production. Other large groups included the String Orchestra playing the stirring St Paul’s Suite by Holst in a performance that was vivid and colourful, the Badminton Choir singing part of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms (which they will sing in its entirety at the St George’s Concert on 3 February) and to conclude the concert the Combined Choirs sang the well-known number Chattanooga Choo Choo by Harry Warren. Two contrasting songs from Schola Cantorum were exquisitely performed: Vaughan Williams’ arrangement of the folk song Linden Lea, followed by Eric Whitacre’s serenely beautiful The Seal Lullaby.  And the Flute Group serenaded us with their performance of Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine.

The concert was notable for a number of exceptional solo and duet performances. Rosie (Year 12) was the soprano soloist in the Chichester Psalms, singing a setting of Psalm 23 ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’ with the utmost control and clarity of line. Guk (Year 13) wowed everyone with her fabulous performance of Andrew Lippa’s ‘Maybe I like it this way’. May and Mary (Year 13) delivered a spine-tingling performance of the duet from Monteverdi’s opera Coronation of Poppea in which their voices intertwined and overlapped with real style. Yvonne (Year 13) and Mary (Year 13) sang two delightful solos from Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, the music praising God through the little creatures of the cat and the mouse (Schola Cantorum will sing this entire work at the St George’s Concert). And Rose (Year 10) and Flora (Year 6) performed the first movement of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto with utter conviction and flair, the audience hardly believing that the performers were so young. 

Everyone enjoyed the delicious refreshments laid on after the concert. My thanks go to Mr Ransom for organising this very enjoyable event, to Mr Nash for his piano accompanying and to our team of visiting music teachers who work with the girls to prepare and inspire them.

Mrs Lee