10 minute read
Music
AUTUMN CONCERT
We had a very positive start to our concert series this year with a varied Autumn Concert.
The String Orchestra started with the atmospheric Song of the Birds by Pablo Casals, featuring a fine cello solo. Mr Wright then conducted four movements from Handel’s Concerto Grosso in D, which provided a good opportunity for the players to take on some substantial sections with different rhythmical and textural characteristics.
Our Chamber Choir performed Parry’s My soul, there is a country marking the centenary of the Armistice and also the centenary of the composer’s death in 1918. This theme of Remembrance was also reflected in solo songs by Butterworth and Gurney.
There were four other commendable solo performances in the concert from our Upper Sixth Form musicians, with music from Schumann, Debussy, Quilter and Poulenc. The Chapel Choir performed the famous Cantique de Jean Racine by Fauré ahead of our Evensong service in York Minster in November and the Brass Ensemble played the colourful March from The Love of Three Oranges by Prokofiev.
The Clarinet Choir and Barbershop also made a strong start to the academic year with a number of new players and singers involved. Overall it was a really encouraging evening of music-making.
YORK MINSTER EVENSONG
It is always a privilege to sing in York Minster and to celebrate the long history that connects our two institutions. The Chapel Choir produced a polished Evensong service on Monday 19 November, with some fine psalm singing, Responses by Ayleward, and a joyful account of the Canticles in D by Herbert Brewer. Perhaps the highlight though was Fauré’s masterpiece, the Cantique de Jean Racine.
CHRISTMAS CONCERT
The Christmas Concert was a joy to direct this year with plenty of seasonal cheer on offer and contributions from a wide range of instrumental ensembles, including our Wind Band, Clarinet Choir, Flute Group, Little Big Band and Swing Band.
As is our custom, the singers were also fully involved with a slick set from the Girls’ Barbershop and a witty, fun set from the Boys’ Barbershop.
Our Chamber Choir continued their tradition of tackling complicated, unaccompanied arrangements in multiple parts, and this was really impressive.
The concert finished with our School Choir of 164 singers performing a medley of Abba songs, which were sung with great joy and enthusiasm.
CAROL SERVICE
St Peter’s Christmas Term came to an end on Friday 14 December with our annual Carol Service at York Minster.
The service began with a beautiful solo rendition of Once in Royal David’s City. Other highlights included performances from our three choirs of Sweet was the Song, I Sing of a Maiden and In the Bleak Midwinter. The service also included readings from pupils of all age groups as well as members of staff.
WHOLE FOUNDATION CONCERT
This year’s annual Whole Foundation Concert took place on Thursday 21 February and opened with Clifton School and Nursery Choir who delivered a spirited and charming performance of A Little Can Change Our World and One Moment, which showcased their ability to sing in multiple parts. St Olave’s Chapel Choir opened with a solo voice singing the first refrains of Why We Sing developing into an impressive four-part harmony. The St Olave’s Wind Band followed, delivering a polished and energetic performance of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. A Haydn Divertimento in five movements then followed with the amassed forces of both the St Peter’s and the St Olave’s Clarinet Choirs. The combination of these two ensembles resulted in a gloriously triumphant sound, which was enjoyed by listeners and participants alike. The St Peter’s Barbieshop and Barbershop delivered animated performances much to the delight of the audience, especially the younger ones who enjoyed the warmth and humour of the singing. The St Peter’s Saxophone Quartet gave the audience an atmospheric rendition of a Piazolla tango in its inaugural performance and the St Peter’s Swing Band played a driving version of Herbie Hancock’s Watermelon Man with an impressive tenor saxophone solo. The evening finished with a joyous rendition from all three school choirs of selections from The Lion King which featured a full rhythm section and brought the evening to a close in front of a capacity audience.
Dr Iain Harrison
EVENSONG AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY
The Chapel Choir returned to Westminster Abbey on Thursday 3 January to sing Evensong. This is always a very special visit and we were the first school choir in the country to sing a service there this academic year. The pupils were a great credit to the school and produced a lovely, warm, open sound throughout the service. Highlights included Brewer’s Canticles in D and the evergreen carol In the Bleak Midwinter by Harold Darke, with solos from Harriet Edwards and Daniel Hicks. We hope to return again in two years’ time.
NATIONAL CHORAL COMPETITION FINAL
St Peter’s Chapel Choir travelled down to the Royal Festival Hall on Monday 4 March to sing in the National Choral Competition, as one of only seven senior choirs selected from across the country.
The competition at this level was tough, with our category containing a recent winner of the BBC Songs of Praise choir competition and two other choirs who were seasoned campaigners in the national competition and who had won it on multiple occasions.
Our choir sang really well, particularly in the evening concert where there was an audience of over 1000 present. This was the first time a choir from St Peter’s has participated in a national final and, although we were not placed in the top two this time, we will be able to build on this in a future year.
CONCERT BY MNOZIL BRASS, MARCH 2019
It is rare that the Music Department has the opportunity to arrange a visit to see world-class ensembles, but in March 2019 a group of pupils went to hear the Austrian brass septet, Mnozil Brass, perform in Leeds Town Hall.
The group – three trumpets, three trombones and a tuba – played a two-hour set entirely from memory, with immaculate classical items set alongside jazz, pop classics and film scores. The quality of sound, blend, precision and musicianship would stand up to the most exacting scrutiny, but Mnozil’s show is an immersive experience, adding in physical comedy, mime and conjuring.
Sketches, including a remarkable re-creation of the pitfalls of an old-fashioned record turntable, had the audience in stitches, and the encore, in which the professor of trombone at the University of Vienna played four instruments simultaneously, whilst hovering above where his chair should have been, brought the house down. Even the most hard-bitten professional brass players in the audience were impressed, and for the pupils it was an awe-inspiring, hugely entertaining and memorable evening.
Keith Wright
ORCHESTRAL AND CHORAL CONCERT
We finished the Easter Term with a wonderful evening of music-making in York Minster. The concert started with a joyful performance of Holst’s Second Suite in F from the Wind Band directed by Dr Harrison, with some lyrical solo playing and exciting ensemble moments. This was followed by an accomplished performance of Haydn’s Symphony 104 from the Symphony Orchestra. To take on an entire symphony took an enormous amount of work over two terms, and congratulations go to Mr Wright and all the players involved.
We finished with a powerful and moving performance of Richard Shephard’s St Luke Passion with the composer present. This has been the most challenging choral project we have taken on in recent times, and my sincere thanks go to the 160 pupils and staff involved with the School Choir for their hard work and dedication that enabled us to deliver such a special performance.
SENIOR MUSIC FESTIVAL FINAL
It was a very enjoyable evening this year, with performances of a high standard in all classes. Our adjudicator was Alasdair Jamieson, a former Director of Music at Bootham School and Teaching Fellow in the Music Department at the University of Durham. He praised positive aspects of each performance, whilst also offering guidance on areas to improve.
The winners of the classes were as follows: Guitar: Adam Dalton Piano: Ben Dunsmore Brass: Toby Search, with Harriet Edwards and Sophie Clark highly commended Boys’ Singing: Mathis Piquiot, with Daniel Hicks highly commended Woodwind: Tim Burgess, with Annabelle Stanford highly commended Girls’ Singing: Eve Gilbert, with Rosie McLeish and Ellie Miles-Kingston highly commended Harp: Iris Greaney Strings: Rosie McLeish, with Daniel Hicks highly commended
The winner of the Senior Music Festival Prize for the outstanding performance of the evening was Tim Burgess for his lyrical playing of Piazzolla’s Histoire du Tango on the soprano saxophone.
JUNIOR MUSIC FESTIVAL FINAL
There was some lovely playing and singing from the Third and Fourth Form pupils in the final this year. We had heard 96 performances in the rounds before half-term, and 27 of those were put forward into the final. Our adjudicator was Dr Alasdair Jamieson, who spoke warmly about the quality of the performing whilst also offering some constructive feedback on areas to improve.
The winners of the categories were as follows: Drum Kit – Emily Yeung Brass – Martha Dunsmore Woodwind –Charlotte Gee with Rachael Green and Emily Yeung highly commended Piano – Weiqing Ge Strings – Charlotte Gee with Beth Eaton and Weiqing Ge highly commended Boys’ Singing – Toby Mayfield Guitar – James Harvey and Hugo Lange Girls’ Singing – Charlotte Holliday
The winner of the overall prize for the outstanding performance of the evening went to Charlotte Gee for her beautifully phrased performance of two unaccompanied Bach Bourrée dances on the cello.
CABARET 2019
It was another fun show this year featuring solo performances from the Upper Sixth Form and a range of enjoyable ensemble pieces from the School Choir, Chamber Choir, Little Big Band and Swing Band. There was a good balance of full-tilt swing numbers and more intimate ballads with piano or small combos.
A highlight of the concerts were the sets from the Boys’ and Girls’ Barbershop groups, who sang a mixture of songs including some original arrangements of pop classics such as the Backstreet Boys’ I Want it that Way and Justin Bieber’s Love Yourself. The School Choir were also on fine form with a medley from The Lion King.
The evening belonged though to the Upper Sixth who produced some fabulous solo moments. My thanks as always to the Swing Band who provided the foundation for the show, playing through some demanding charts with real assurance.
Paul Miles-Kingston
