The annual St George’s Concert is always the highlight of the musical calendar and this year was no exception. The standard of musical performance was outstanding and the sense of the whole school community coming together for a major school event was particularly strong. Over one hundred girls performed in this year’s concert, and for the first time we were delighted to involve the J5 and J6 Junior Choir who joined the Year 7 choir. Our numbers were further swelled by our very own Badminton Dads’ Choir and the tenor and bass lay-clerks and choral scholars from Bristol Cathedral Choir. It was a great thrill for the Badminton girls to be able to enjoy the fully-blended sound of a mixed choir.
The concert began with a stunning performance of the first movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major, K488 with Emily Winsor (Upper 6th) as soloist. Her playing was immaculate, always beautifully controlled and lyrical with superb musical engagement; she was brilliantly supported by the Badminton Symphony orchestra whose ensemble-playing was first-rate. Emily then joined the orchestra in her other role as a violinist for a performance of Copland’s Appalachian Spring suite which Mr Ransom had specially arranged for this concert. The open, slowly-changing harmonies perfectly evoked the vast American landscape and pioneer spirit, while the dance sections were full of infectious rhythms and American folk melodies. The orchestra is to be congratulated on their fine performance of this very demanding work; the wind section who had very prominent parts throughout played to an extremely high standard, and the string section’s sense of ensemble was excellent.
The American theme of the programme continued in the second half of the concert, which featured the Badminton Choirs. A lively performance of the well-known hit song Chattanooga Choo Choo got everyone going after the interval and was followed by Swing Low Sweet Chariot, a traditional American spiritual, sung by Year 7 Choir and the Junior Choir. Schola Cantorum, joined by the tenor and bass lay-clerks and choral scholars from Bristol Cathedral Choir, gave a fabulous performance of Britten’s cantata Rejoice in the Lamb, a work that Britten composed shortly after returning from the USA where he had spent much of the Second World War. Particular congratulations go to Yvonne and Mary (Year 13) for their characterful solos about a cat and a mouse! We were then transported to Broadway with Guk Yu’s performance of ‘Maybe I like it this way’ from the musical The Wild Party by Andrew Lippa. Guk’s singing was extremely powerful and the cheers she received from the audience were richly deserved. The Seal Lullaby by Eric Whitacre, sung by Schola Cantorum, provided a complete contrast with its serene mood and beautiful sonorities; it is a favourite piece of the choir and they sang it with real feeling and commitment.
To finish the concert Badminton Choir was joined by the Dad’s Choir and Bristol Cathedral Choir for a performance of Bernstein’s thrilling Chichester Psalms. Accompanied by two pianos, harp and percussion, the work brings together popular and jazz rhythms with powerful harmonies. The psalms are sung in Hebrew, reflecting Bernstein’s Ukranian-Jewish roots. The performance was exceptional and particular congratulations go to Rosie (Year 12) for her magnificent solo in the second movement, and to Viann (Year 11) and May (Year 13) who sang the solo parts in the outer movements.
I have been touched and delighted to receive so many messages of congratulations from governors, members of staff, parents and girls each of whom has taken something special from this concert. For some it was the superb playing of the orchestra, for others it was the thrilling sound of the choirs, for many it was the involvement of the junior choir, and for others it was the range and variety of the works in the programme. Above all people have praised the professionalism of the concert, how wonderful it looked visually with everyone smart and slick on stage, and how inspiring the quality of the musical performances were. I am immensely proud of all the girls who took part and in admiration of the total commitment that they gave to the event, not just on the night itself but in the months of rehearsals that preceded it. Thank you all.
I am also indebted to my many colleagues in the music department without whom this concert would not have been possible: Mr Ransom for his superb training and direction of the orchestra and his daily support within the department; the Visiting Music Teachers for their expertise and teaching of the girls in their weekly music lessons; Miss Sibley for her hard work in administering the concert; Mr Nash for his admirable piano accompanying; Miss Latham and Mrs Francis for their coaching of the strings in the orchestra; Mrs Stewart, Miss Reynolds and Mrs Boden for playing in the orchestra and Mrs Kirk-Harris for singing in the choir; and Mr Thomas for his work with the J5 and J6 girls and his co-ordination of the event at the Junior School. Special thanks also go to the Dads who sang in the choir and attended weekly rehearsals through the Autumn term in addition to this term: I am most grateful for their time and dedication – it was fun! And sincere thanks to all members of staff across the Senior and Junior Schools who in many different ways supported the event and helped everything run smoothly.
Mrs Lee
.jpg?command_1=resize&height_1=85)
.jpg?command_1=resize&height_1=85)
