“Like sunshine, music is a powerful force that can instantly change your entire mood. Music gives us new energy and a stronger sense of purpose.” This is a quote from the American singer-songwriter, Michael Franti. Whilst many people may not have heard of him, Team Music have taken his words very much as a mantra.
Last month saw our spectacular Gala concert, involving over 130 musicians performing as part of no less than 18 different instrumental ensembles, from the magnificence of the Abbey Symphony Orchestra to the beautiful intimacy of the student-led Tre Voci trio, all instrumentalists had their moment to shine. Senior string players from the Abbey Junior School Orchestra joined the Symphony Orchestra in a rousing performance of Les Toreadors from Carmen whilst the woodwind players joined the Concert Band in the fun of Mambo no.5!
Magical moments came thick and fast, with an array of pieces dazzling the capacity crowd. One such moment was the premiere performance of a new work for piano and orchestra composed by Mia in the Upper VI which was spellbinding. Another was the swansong of the Troika ensemble with their incredible performance of the first movement of Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto no.4. To watch any or all of these performances, please see the programme together with the time stamps for each piece; sit back and enjoy!
Watch a clip of Mia’s piece here
Concert at Signature Care Home, Caversham
Later in May, the Lower V GCSE musicians gave a concert to the residents of Signature Care Home in Caversham. There was a lovely range of pieces from classical to easy listening, all performed with confidence and to great applause. At the end of the afternoon the students were thanked by staff and residents and immediately invited back so they must have enjoyed our music!
If you walked through the Hardcastle Hall during lunchtime on Monday 17 June you may have been forgiven for thinking you had stumbled into the Eurovision Arena! Our Eurovision sing-along kicked off this year’s Celebration of Music week with hits from Katrina and the Waves and Sam Ryder to Loreen and, of course, ABBA’s Waterloo!
Tuesday was our solo performers recital day. Vocalists, instrumentalists and even dancers took to the stage, sharing their love of music and their talents with a very appreciative audience. To see and hear clips of these performances why not check out the Music Department Instagram page: theabbey_music
On Wednesday we were thrilled to welcome Abbey alumna, Rebekah Clarke, for the day, working with our GCSE and A level students as well as our Music Scholars. She started by giving an illuminating talk on her musical journey since leaving the Abbey, including studying Music at University and Conservatoire and where these routes could lead. After lunch, Rebekah led an open masterclass with the Tre Voci piano trio, Chloe (cello) and finally Shree (violin). Our students were given one-to-one performance coaching which they all found extremely helpful. The afternoon concluded with a fantastic recital from Rebekah, with pieces from across the cello repertoire including Saint-Saens The Swan and Nadia Boulanger’s Three pieces for cello which dazzled the audience! Again, excerpts of this day can be found on the Music department Instagram page.
Thursday came around and it was time to showcase our ensembles. These groups ranged from duos, trios and quartets all the way up to the Abbey String Orchestra and the Clarinet ensemble. There were pop songs, there were classical pieces, we had songs from musicals and traditional pieces such as Loch Lomond. By the end of the day, the Hardcastle Hall was standing room only as the sixth form piano quartet – yes, 8 hands on one piano – led us on a journey in their Classical Mash-Up which combined elements of over 65 pieces of classical music!
The culmination of this fantastic week was the Night of Rock! The Richards Hall was transformed into a venue fit for Rock N Roll. The evening consisted of 2 Abbey School Rock bands, 2 Berkshire Maestro Bands, some extremely talented soloists (Alexis and Will) and singer-songwriters (Mady and Maria) and the professional band Side Hustle. It was truly a night to remember. The dance floor was filled as the crowds danced to renditions of Taylor Swift and Guns n Roses. The opportunity to share and take in the music which we had all been preparing this year was really inspiring. I particularly enjoyed watching the drummers perform as, as a drummer myself I enjoyed watching people performing at a level that I hope to reach soon. Our band Eclipse performed Take Me Out, Supermassive Black Hole and Mad World. It was interesting to play on such a different kit to the one I ordinarily play on and was cool to see the different nuances and aspects of a professional kit – whilst I did find it challenging and managed to drop my sticks a few times the experience was brilliant. My favourite piece to perform was Take me Out as it was the piece I knew the best and found the most fun to play on the drums, Poppy and I also shared a few laughs on stage as I had managed to rest in the wrong break 3 times (whilst it wasn’t noticeable off the stage it was incredibly funny on stage) . An added bonus was the snacks on the tables; it was a different experience to our more formal concerts, showing the diversity of music on offer at The Abbey. There really is something for absolutely everyone from Bach to Franz Ferdinand. I’m excited for next year’s Night of Rock and can’t wait to see what it has in store.
Written by Hope, Lower VI
The Abbey Interludes Recitals have taken place throughout the academic year, giving students the opportunity to perform in front of a small, appreciative audience. These events give students the chance to try out pieces with an accompanist in a performance arena but without feeling in the spotlight of a formal concert situation. This week’s recital showcased the work of our singer-songwriter students and was extremely well-received. Elizabeth (UVI), Maria (LVI), Aaila (LIV) and Poppy (UIII) all performed with confidence and gave the audience a real treat with their original compositions.
Malta Music Tour 2024
And so we reach the end of our exceptionally busy, musical year. Oh wait, no we don’t! The Concert Band and vocalists are heading off to Malta next Thursday on the annual music tour. We will be giving three concerts across three days as well as sight-seeing and enjoying the sunshine! Here are some of the students who will be on tour, in their brand new tour T-shirts and baseball caps! Look out for concert snippets on, you guessed it, the Music department Instagram page!
