It only took a couple of weeks of the Summer term for our Secondary students to once again demonstrate the wonderful progress they are making as musicians and performers. The 10th Anniversary Concert at The Pearl was a true spectacle with a fantastic range of different music on display.
Our A-level music students Vicente and James gave renditions of the solo piano pieces they have just recorded as part of their AS exam. Playing to a packed audience of parents, students and teachers, they both played beautifully, showing a fine balance of expressivity and control.
Our Senior Folk Ensemble, comprising Laney (piano), Risa (violin), Rick (violin), Vittoria (flute) and Amy (tin whistle) gave a virtuosic performance of fast tempo reels from Ireland. Their show was commendable, not just for the fine musicianship but also for their courage in playing some very complex music from memory.
Our GCSE girls Larysa (piano) and Vivian (bass guitar) gave their best performance yet of pieces they are preparing for their exam next year. An up-tempo version of the classic bebop tune ‘Billie’s Bounce’ was complemented by a groovy rendition of jazz-funk tune The Chicken. Both girls are new to improvisation, so it is particularly impressive that they were able to get on stage in front of so many people and present unprepared music.
Finishing off the afternoon and representing the Senior Music Hub we had Chihiro (keys), Anakin (drums), Vittoria (vocals), Jessica (electric guitar), Vivian (bass guitar) and Shaswat (ukulele). Their version of Gossip was very powerful and was an emphatic and worthy end to a very enjoyable concert.
Many thanks to our excellent community for supporting the event. Playing to such an appreciative audience in a beautiful venue was a real treat for our students and represented a lovely moment in their continuing development as musicians.
