Music Department

Musical Notes...

The Music Department has enjoyed another busy and successful year, packed full of outstanding concert performances both in school and in the community. Alongside this, students have achieved some of the highest ever ABRSM and Trinity exam results and there has been significant competition success for individuals and ensembles.

The Accidentals at the May Serenade Music Festival Prize Winners

In October, preparations turned to the Girls’ Division Autumn Concert, which was held in the Girls’ Division Great Hall and featured a number of the Schools’ joint ensembles, as well as the first ever Year 8 medley! Other highlights of the evening included the Middle School Choir supporting soloist Rachel Care (Year 9); the Intermediate Concert Band’s exciting rendition of ‘Kongolela’; and the Joint Senior Orchestra’s performance of Smetana’s beautiful ‘Vltava’. In November our service of Remembrance was a poignant and moving occasion, featuring the talents of the Accidentals and vocal soloist, Riya Kalhan (Year13). In the Spring Term, the Annual Senior Girls’ Music Festival took place with outstanding solo and small ensemble performances given by the girls. The adjudicators were extremely impressed with the level of participation and the mature and confident performances.

Chamber Choir at Evensong Girls’ Division String Ensemble at May Serenade

The centenary celebrations continued at the start of the Summer Term with an Evensong service at Bolton Parish Church. The Evensong was a fantastic opportunity to feature choral talent from across the entire Foundation, and the Joint Chamber Choir were joined by the Hesketh House and Park Road Choirs, as well as the Friends of Bolton School Community Choir. There were so many beautiful performances throughout the service! The May Serenade was our chance to say farewell to the Year 13 students who have all made a significant contribution to Girls’ Division music during their time at Bolton School, and the Senior Choir’s beautiful offering of Fields of Gold has quickly become a Girls’ Division tradition to wish the outgoing Year 13s the very best for their futures. Other highlights of the May Serenade were solo performances from Olivia Sample (Year 7), Isabel Harper (Year 10), Abigail Holt (Year 11), Rebecca Butchart (Year13) and Riya Kalhan (Year 13), as well as a wonderful set from the Joint Chamber Choir and a fantastic Senior Concert Band finale. Middle School Choir at Port Sunlight

The Spring Gala Concert, took place at Hulme Hall, Port Sunlight on Sunday 13 March as part of the Bolton School Centenary celebrations. In the beautiful setting of Lord Leverhulme’s visionary village, over 150 students participated in this fantastic event in front of a full house. Highlights of the concert included the Joint Senior Concert Band’s outstanding performance of the fiendishly difficult ‘Riverdance’ suite, and the Joint Senior Orchestra’s grand finale of the 1812 Overture.

Senior Flute Quartet

Congratulations to all girls who have achieved places in regional and national ensembles and at conservatoires. The following pupils are all currently members of either the Halle Youth Orchestra, RNCM Junior School or the Greater Manchester Hub Brass Band or Wind Band: Rebecca Butchart, Olivia Sample, Rachel Care, Vasudha Marthi, Sally Cowling, Chloe Tsang, Abigail Holt, Jacqueline Jones-Humphrey, Samantha Schofield and Joanna Pemberton.

Girls’ Division guitar group at the May serenade

Joint Percussion Ensemble at Port Sunlight

Jazz Band at Port Sunlight

Senior Saxophone Choir at Port Sunlight The Music department would very much like to thank its unbelievably hard-working team of employed and visiting staff for everything they have done this year, and particularly to thank the vast number of students who show such dedication and commitment to school music.

Music Festival 8 February 2016

Middle School Percussion 1st Millie Ashton 7S Highly Commended Lucinda Butterworth 9B, Sally Cowling 9G Middle School Woodwind Grades 1-4 1st Madeleine Bodger 8C Highly Commended Summer Kay 7C, Amy Scoble 7C, Shreya Kamath 8B Middle School Woodwind Grades 5+ 1st Hannah Rayner 9G 1st Lucy Stiles 9C 2nd Lorna Stirzaker 9B 3rd Sally Cowling 9G Middle + Senior School Brass 1st Ellen Bate 10C Highly Commended Antigone Blackwell 9G, Amy Chicken 9B Senior School Woodwind Grades 1-5 1st Kiran Cheema 11B Senior School Woodwind Grades 6+ 1st Zoe Stirzaker 12D Highly Commended Sêren Davies 10B, Abigail Naylor 11A Ensembles 1st Senior Flute Quartet Stiles) 1st Abi Fay 2nd Percussion Trio 3rd The Saxophones 3rd The Saxes Highly Commended - Violin Duet Middle School Guitar 1st Layli Alikhasi 8D 2nd Phoenix Khan 8C 3rd Sharon Daniel 9C Highly Commended Marianne Garcia-Cox 7G Senior School Orchestral Strings 1st Alexandra Graham 10E 1st Jacqueline Jones-Humphrey 10A Senior School Piano Grades 1-4 2nd Caroline Blair 11A Highly Commended Abigail Naylor 11A, Eleanor Shaw 11F Middle School Piano + Organ Grades 1-3 1st Estelle Pass 7D (organ) 3rd Ariella Tanfield 7B, Vanessa Wong 7G, Sophie Hann 8S, Ani Sastry 7G, Katie Couriel 8C, Victoria Wong 7D Highly Commended Katie Riggs 7G, Niamh Woodward 8B, Olivia Stubbs 8S, Katherine Baker 8D, India Corlett-Moore 8D, Hafsa Syed 9S Middle School Piano Grades 4+ 1st Shreya Kamath 8B, Sally Cowling 9G, Estelle Pass 7D, Lucy Stiles 9C 2nd Ria Bansal 8C, Ellen Masterson 7D, Lucinda Butterworth 9B 3rd Amara Vijayadurai 9G, Sophia Liang 7S Highly Commended Ingrid Lam 9C, Sana Riaz 8C, Mariyah Karim 9G, Jessica-Rose Curtis-Walker 8B Senior School Piano Grades 5+ 2nd Zara Walsh 10B, Anna Rowlands 12D2, Kiran Cheema 11B, Chandrani Gupta 12B2 3rd Su Sam Tham 11D Highly Commended Ella Bolton 10C, Rebecca Sham 11C, Zoe Stirzaker 12D1, Rachel Ibberson 11E Middle School Orchestral Strings 1st Katie Couriel 8C 2nd Ella Kaut-Howson 9C, Eleanor Haighton 7G, Caitlin Foster 7C 3rd Sana Riaz 8C, Amara Vijayadurai 9G, Helena Lintott 7G, Olivia Stubbs 8S Highly Commended Annabelle Boulos 9B, Alice Higginbottom 8D, Claris Roe 8B, Sally Cowling 9G, Rosalyn Harper 8B Middle School Voice 1st Taya Panter 7C, Eve Birtwhistle 8G 2nd Jessica-Rose Curtis-Walker 8B, Jessica Kay 9D, Chloe Ferguson 7B 3rd Santina Hundle 9D, Anna Boyers 8S, Rhianna Taylor-Birch 7C Highly Commended Marianne Garcia-Cox 7G Senior School Voice 1st Caroline Blair 11A, Jacqueline Jones-Humphrey 10A 2nd Hannah Holt 10B, Charlotte Crook 11E

Name Instrument Grade Result

Caroline Blair Singing 5 Distinction Caroline Blair Piano 3 Distinction Pante’a Habibi Piano 2 Pass Charlotte Crook Singing 2 Pass Alice Higginbottom Violin 3 Pass Shreya Kamath Flute 2 Pass Ria Bansal Singing 2 Pass Samantha Schofield Flute 5 Merit Madeleine Bodger Saxophone 2 Distinction Harriet Preston Clarinet 2 Distinction Eve Birtwhistle Singing 1 Pass Maya Parmar Clarinet 3 Merit Amy Chicken Trumpet 3 Merit Jess Kay Singing 3 Pass Anabel Nuttall Trumpet 3 Merit Alice Sandford Clarinet 4 Pass Lucy Rowlands Piano 4 Pass

Trinity Exams Summer 2015

Name Instrument Grade Result

Maya Drummond Flute 6 Merit Eleanor Shaw Piano 3 Merit Emma Hailwood Clarinet 7 Pass Stephanie Higgins Piano 5 Merit Ella Thompson Classical Guitar 4 Distinction Ria Bansal Piano 3 Merit Sara Uddin Piano Initial Distinction Lucinda Butterworth Piano 3 Merit Charley-Louise Wakefield Singing 3 Pass Lucy Stiles Saxophone 7 Distinction Lucy Stiles Piano 5 Distinction Hannah Rayner Saxophone 7 Distinction Sian Rowlands Singing 4 Pass Isabel Harper Flute 6 Distinction Hannah Holt Singing 3 Merit Polly Adams Clarinet 8 Distinction Saamin Cheema Piano 6 Merit Emma Rayner Saxophone 6 Merit Olivia Lowe Singing 5 Merit Isobel Faulkner Cornet 8 Merit Eilidh Gibson Singing 5 Merit

London College of Music Exams Summer 2015

Name Instrument Grade Result

Roxanne Asumu Pop Music Vocals 1 Distinction Nicole Williams Pop Music Vocals 1 Distinction Sara Crompton Pop Music Vocals 6 Merit Millie Liptrot Pop Music Vocals 5 Distinction Ciara Mansfield Pop Music Vocals 5 Distinction

Name Instrument Grade Result

Jessica Willcock Theory 5 Pass Nina Simon Theory 5 Merit Jacqueline Jones-Humphrey Violin 5 Pass Ayesha Safri Piano 1 Pass Nicola Li Piano 4 Merit Inika Vardhan Violin 3 Pass Harriette Camus Piano 5 Merit Amelia Myatt Theory 5 Merit Charlotte Johnson Theory 5 Merit Rebecca Calderbank Piano 4 Merit Sonali Daniel Violin 5 Pass Emma Hussain Piano 6 Pass Sarah Ibberson Alto Saxophone 8 Merit Victoria Wong Piano 1 Distinction Ani Sastry Piano 3 Pass Olivia Stubbs Violin 2 Pass Anna Clark Violin 3 Pass Jessica Chae Piano 3 Pass Antigone Blackwell Trombone 5 Merit

Trinity Exams Autumn 2015

Name Instrument Grade Result

Stephanie Higgins Clarinet 7 Merit Sian Rowlands Clarinet 6 Merit Nina Simon Saxophone 5 Pass Abigail Naylor Saxophone 7 Distinction Matilda Rodriguez Flute 4 Merit Alexandra Cooke Saxophone 6 Merit Emily Man Piano 3 Distinction Charlotte Winrow Eb Tenor Horn 7 Merit Emma Rayner Saxophone 7 Pass Isabelle Pearce Flute 8 Merit Bethany O’Donnell Saxophone 7 Merit Rebecca Parkinson Clarinet 2 Distinction Jessica Bailey Saxophone 1 Distinction Amy Scoble Saxophone 2 Merit Charlotte Hughes Saxophone 5 Distinction Kate Hailwood Flute 3 Merit Sophie Hann Piano 3 Distinction Anna Boyers Singing 1 Distinction Lorna Stirzaker Piano 5 Distinction Nicole Williams Piano 3 Distinction Amy Potter Singing 2 Distinction Cassia Drummond Clarinet 5 Merit Rachel McGinty Saxophone 5 Merit Chloe Varsani Piano Initial Distinction Santina Hundle Piano 4 Distinction Hannah Rayner Clarinet 7 Merit Claudia Barnes Saxophone 4 Merit

Name Instrument Grade Result

Caroline Fairclough Piano 7 Merit Jacqueline Jones-Humphrey Singing 5 Distinction Kiran Cheema Piano 7 Distinction Katie Couriel Piano 3 Distinction Shreya Kamath Flute 3 Distinction Roxanne Asumu Piano 2 Distinction Lorna Stirzaker Theory 5 Merit Annabelle Boulos Cello 5 Pass Santina Hundle Singing 3 Merit Anita Cardozo Piano 3 Pass

Trinity Exams Spring 2016

Name Instrument Grade Result

Isabel Harper Flute 7 Distinction Sêren Davies Saxophone 7 Merit Georgia Forester Flute 3 Merit Ariella Tanfield Saxophone 3 Merit Jessica Bailey Saxophone 2 Pass Amaia Taylor Clarinet 2 Merit Lauren Hilton Clarinet 3 Pass Vanessa Wong Piano 3 Pass Eleanor Haighton Flute 5 Distinction Maia Patel Clarinet 3 Distinction Jessica-Rose Curtis-Walker Piano 4 Merit Abigail Hughes Saxophone 4 Pass Eve Birtwhistle Singing 2 Merit Lorna Stirzaker Clarinet 7 Distinction Lucy Stiles Flute 7 Distinction Jess Kay Flute 3 Merit Ananya Darshan Saxophone 4 Merit Eleanor Winter Saxophone 6 Merit Zoe Stirzaker Piano 7 Distinction Ginny Whiteside Saxophone 8 Pass Lois Mok Flute 3 Merit Eilidh Gibson Singing 8 Merit Senior Choir at May Serenade

Rebecca Butchart at the May Serenade