On Tuesday evening we were treated to another fantastic evening of music at the Spring Serenade Concert which this time showcased the school’s large ensembles. All of these ensembles and choirs delivered amazing performances that made the Richards Hall ring with the sound of applause (even after the audience had left)!
The Concert Band opened the evening with a very lively performance of the concert march, Barnard Castle, which was followed by the 4th Form Choir’s heartfelt rendition of ‘You will be found’ from Dear Evan Hansen. Next up was the first of two pieces from the Symphony Orchestra, the classic Chanson de Matin by Elgar, performed beautifully by all 62 musicians in this ensemble. The tempo then dropped as the Senior Choir delivered an evocative performance of the famous choral piece Panis Angelicus.
A return to the modern day with the second piece from the Concert Band, ‘A Selection from the Greatest Showman’ which included all the favourites like a Million Dreams, This is me, Never Enough and the Greatest Show. The UIII choir brought us a fun and energetic piece called ‘Feel Good’ that definitely did its name justice as it brought smiles to the audience! Keeping with the theme, the String Orchestra performed the jazz classic, ‘Feeling Good’ by Michael Bublé (or for those who remember, Nina Simone).
The Senior Choir sang the very moving and beautiful ‘Sing Gently’ written by Eric Whitacre during lockdown. It was performed virtually by over 17,000 people (including Ms Bilkey) in over 129 countries making it the largest virtual choir. The song represents always being able to sing together and it was wonderful for them to perform it and for us to listen to it in person.
For the finale we were treated to an astonishing performance of Adagio from Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky. The Symphony Orchestra gave it everything and from the harps and percussion to the strings, woodwind and brass everyone contributed to this musical extravaganza and brought the evening to a rousing conclusion.
As always, thank you to the Music Team who made this wonderful event happen as well as all 180 performers for their dedicated participation. It’s always a joy to share our music and we look forward to performing again in the summer term.
Emily Upper IV
