Soirées

The Keyboard Soirée in Term II gave a number of boys learning piano at the School the chance to perform for family and friends. After several years of Zoom lessons and limited performance opportunities it was a wonderful opportunity to share music together in person and for parents to meet their sons’ piano teachers. A wide range of solo piano repertoire was performed, from Mozart and jazz arrangements to Chopin’s legendary Ballade No.1 in G minor.

The first few weeks of Term III saw two very different vocal soirées take place. Pupils of Mr Koen van Stade presented Chant to Cage, a programme exploring the history of vocal music from the Middle Ages through to the modern era. The boys performed unaccompanied plainchant from as early as the 9th Century, a variety of works from the Renaissance through to the Romantic period, and a snapshot of more modern works from the art music and musical theatre traditions. Mr van Stade, Mr Wagner and Ms Campbell accompanied the boys on organ, harpsichord or piano according to the composers’ original intentions. The performance of John Cage’s Litany for the Whale led us almost full circle with four singers calling unaccompanied to each other from the corners of Big School.

A week later the vocal pupils of Ms Kym Parrish presented an equally engaging but very different programme – Connected – which explored the effect of having information and the ability to connect at our fingertips through the smartphone. Taking the form of a cabaret, the evening featured an original script written by Ms Parrish with songs from the musical theatre genre interspersed throughout. Ms Parrish accompanied the boys at the piano and both audience and performers enjoyed the more informal seating plan. Solos and duets were interspersed with banter, tap dancing and lots of laughs in this most entertaining evening.

Term Concerts

The Term I Concert featured many of Grammar’s large ensembles with some smaller chamber ensembles interspersed. Highlights included Jerry Yu (III) with the Form III String Quartet playing the Allegro Brillante from Robert Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E flat, Opus 44. Seymour Orchestra presented Percy Grainger’s Handle in the Strand and AMCO performed the final movement of Sonata for String Orchestra by William Walton. Wind Ensemble performed Grainger’s Irish Tune from County Derry and Big Band presented The Queen Bee by Sammy Nestico. The winner of the 2021 Form V Instrumental Competition, Rohan Keshava (VI) performed the first movement of the Piano Concerto in F Minor by Anton Arensky with School Orchestra. Bassoon Quartet performed Barr- Phonics by Nigel Westlake in a touching dedication to bassoon teacher Ms Clare Payne, who at that stage was battling cancer.

Vocal ensembles were featured in the Term II Concert. The larger choirs, School Choir and Cantorum presented works by Mr John Rutter and Mr Philip Wilby respectively and the smaller vocal groups, Junior Vocal Ensemble, Croonivores and Grammarphones presented a wide variety of repertoire from show tunes to traditional folk songs. Many of the instrumental consorts also performed at this concert – the Flutes, Clarinets, Brass and a number of Percussion ensembles. Term III Concert A was band focused. All the bands based at College Street performed and were joined by the Stevens Band from St Ives Preparatory School along with the Tuba and Trumpet ensembles from College Street. The concert certainly highlighted the depth and breadth of the band programme.

Here is a montage of snapshots from the Term I and Term II Concerts