Music

An overview of music at Trinity from our Director of Music, David Swinson LIGHTS. CAMERA. MUSIC!

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated two major changes to our music provision this academic year. First, we could not welcome parents and family members into school so, instead of performing to live audiences, we had to film all our concerts. Second, much of our musicmaking had to happen within year group bubbles. The new experiences, while inconvenient and frustrating, also brought about positive outcomes. Many more enjoyed our filmed concerts than could have been accommodated as a live audience, including highly appreciative family members from abroad, and pupils have reported how much they have appreciated the more active engagement with their year group musicians. Furthermore, the vast majority of our music-making this year has been archived and can, therefore, be enjoyed for years to come. Year group string orchestras and wind bands ran throughout the year in addition to the senior orchestra, Big Band and Swing Band. These groups featured in the termly gala concerts. A notable highlight was the first performance of a student composition by our senior string group: Romance for Strings by the School Music Captain, Jeanette Szeto. We proudly promote those instruments which we feel are often overlooked in schools and there have been a number of filmed concerts for our guitarists, including our electric and classical guitar groups, our pianists and our drum kit players. There is some exceptional talent among these students and the concerts demonstrate this perfectly. Singing was highlighted early on in the pandemic as a potentially dangerous activity and this has meant that we have not been able to sing in class. However, we are happy to report that, whilst following the guidelines carefully, we have provided a great many varied opportunities for our singers. Our year group choirs have also featured in the termly concerts, as has the Girls’ Choir, Sixth Form Octet and Chamber Choir. It has been particularly exciting to note the increased involvement and excellence of girl singers. Meanwhile, Trinity Boys’ Choir has undertaken two major film soundtrack recordings over the course of this year. On both occasions the boys were joined by members of the Girls’ Choir. The first, in January, took place at Abbey Road Studios and was for Disney and the second, for Netflix, took place in our own studio.

Festive cheer and fundraising

The autumn term presented the school with many challenges, not least maintaining the school’s opening during the November national lockdown. The music department was delighted, therefore, to help to provide an abundance of festive cheer! The School Carol Service had 1,500 viewers and the Choristers’ Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, which included contributions from alumnus, Revd Dr Michael Brierley, Precentor of Worcester Cathedral, had an audience of over 1,000. In addition, a charity single ‘Almost Christmas’, written by our Head of Academic Music, Richard Holdsworth, received over 3,000 viewers and raised over £2000 for charities supporting the homeless.

“A charity single ‘Almost Christmas’, written by our Head of Academic Music, Richard Holdsworth, received over 3,000 viewers and raised over £2000 for charities supporting the homeless.”

Concerto Concerts

We were able to conclude the academic year with three outstanding and memorable musical collaborations with the London Mozart Players. First, 29 members of the LMP combined with a similar number of Trinity musicians to create a fantastic orchestra which accompanied five Upper Sixth form musicians who were playing concertos. Congratulations to Daniel Zolinsky (Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A); Jeanette Szeto (Walton’s Viola Concerto); Ross Ah-Weng (Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto); Alex Wong (Dvorak’s Cello Concerto), and Eloise Demay (Elegy for Trumpet by Bates).

Masterclasses

Under the auspices of the LMP, we also hosted two masterclasses and our musicians were coached by two rising stars of the classical music world. The saxophonist Jess Gillam worked with Matthew Gillam and the pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason coached Edward Warner, Ben Abrahams and Isaac Rogers.

Trinity Musician of the Year

We were delighted to be able to run all our competitions this year, although some happened online. The final of the Musician of the Year competition was hotly competed, and the standard was astonishingly high. Many congratulations to the winner Jeanette Szeto and to Alex Wong who took second place, with Matthew Gillam third. Well done all!

Live-streamed jazz

One of the most popular musical events in our annual calendar is the December Jazz Evening. This event raises funds for the Trinity Malawi project and we were delighted to be able to maintain this tradition by offering a live-streamed event, direct from the Concert Hall. Our Big Band, Swing Band, Jazz Collective and jazz singers were watched by over 4,000 viewers and, as ever, significant funds were raised for this valued partnership.

IN PROFILE

Jeanette Szeto Jeanette studied Biology, Music and Psychology at A Level and said she decided half-way through her year in Lower Sixth that she wanted to pursue a career in Music. She has since been awarded a scholarship at the Royal Northern College of Music. A particular highlight of her time at Trinity was playing Walton’s Viola Concerto with the school orchestra and the London Mozart Players. “The whole experience of preparing and performing the piece and being able to listen to the other soloists in the concert was a really good way to end my time at Trinity,” she says. “But there have been so many things that I’ve loved. If I had to name a few, it would include the Concerto, recording for Netflix and Disney, and being able to work with other great musicians and hear them play in competitions.” Her advice to other students is to get involved with as many things as possible, whether that’s sport, music, drama or academic societies. “Having something that requires a completely different way of thinking to your subjects is a really good way to make sure that you don’t tire yourself out,” she says. Jeanette’s proudest achievement was when she found out that she had received scholarships to all of her conservatoire choices: “I wasn’t really expecting to get into all four, let alone scholarships … I think of that as a turning point.” Daniel Zolinsky Daniel studied English, History and Music at A Level and has chosen to study Music at Oxford University. “Music has always been a fundamental part of my life, particularly competitions and performance. This could indicate that a conservatoire would have been the more rational choice, but I sought to further my academic and contextual knowledge of music, and hence decided to apply for a university degree. I have always had huge interest in the legal field surrounding Music, too, and so felt that an academic degree would be critical in ensuring I am fully prepared should I choose to pursue this particular career in the future,” he says. Daniel plays Piano and Violin to diploma standard. He says he managed to balance the time he spent on Music and his studies by organising his time around deadlines. “I think it is preferable to ensure that one aspect is complete before spending extensive time on the other, otherwise one feels that nothing has been achieved, which does not motivate you to work hard,” he says, adding that his proudest achievement was achieving nine 9s and one 8 at GCSE. “On joining Trinity I was sceptical that I would be up to the academic standard, particularly in Maths and Sciences, and so I am most proud of my motivation to get into a high set for Science classes and then subsequently achieve A* level in the exams,” he adds.