On Saturday 8 March, all four choirs from the Junior School performed in the choral section of Woodley Festival of Music and Arts. The day started with our Preparatory Choir ‘Cantilena’ singing in the Infant Class. From their first step on to the stage, our youngest pupils conducted themselves with such professionalism, standing tall and following their conductor as they performed the partner song Hands ‘Cross the Ocean and The Great, Green, Google-Eyed Alien. The adjudicator, Simon Hayward, complimented the choir on their lovely sound, sense of ensemble and super actions. They were awarded ‘Outstanding’ and a silver medal.
Kensington Choir were next to perform in the Lower Junior Class, giving a ‘polished and professional performance’ of Are You Out There and Calico Cat. They were praised for their co-ordinated articulation of words and lovely two-part singing, which earned them an ‘Exceptional’ grade, first place, gold medal and The John Keane Cup.
Success continued in the first of the Upper Junior Classes where Chamber Choir were also awarded first place, a gold medal and The John Keane Shield. The choir were complimented on their blend of voices, beautiful control and carefully built dynamic contrasts during their performances of With a Song and Joyful, Joyful.
The final choir of the day was our largest, Somerleaze Singers. They sang Riversong and Fill the World with Music stunning the adjudicator with their impressive unified sound, use of light and shade and committed two-part singing. This earned them first place, another gold medal and The John Keane Trophy.
We are immensely proud of each and every choir member for their outstanding performances.
Katherine at The Woodley Festival
After successes at the Choral Section being part of two of the Junior School’s choir groups, Katherine went on to the Instrumental Section with her violin and won a 3rd place in the Grade 6-7 Solo class, and another 3rd place in the String Solo 11 and under class, coming home with two individual bronze medals. She also took part in the ensemble class with her “Appassionato” buddies and was awarded both a gold medal and the Normal Head Trophy. Their ensemble performance was so good that the adjudicator said he’s got “tears in his eyes”, and had invited them to perform again at The Festival’s finale concert.
She is also looking forward to going back to the Festival in the coming weekends in the Pianoforte Section.
Zuleyha at The Woodley Festival
Zuleyha from Lower III not only participated individually in this year’s Woodley Festival but also formed an ensemble for the first time. Joining forces with her classmate Amelia (cello) and Sawako (violin) from Caversham Primary School, they performed as the SAZ Ensemble, creatively named by combining the initials of their names. The name SAZ also pays homage to a traditional Turkish string instrument, a thoughtful detail that was warmly received by the festival jury.
In the Ensemble 3-6 Players category, SAZ Ensemble delivered a stunning performance of Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major, captivating the audience and earning high praise from the Adjudicator, who noted:
“Excellent presentation from start to finish. Bravo! I love how you communicate with each other – you are clearly having fun playing together!”
We are also delighted to announce that SAZ Ensamble have been awarded the Minerva Trophy for the Best Duet or Ensemble, aged 13 years or under. The SAZ Ensemble will perform at the Final Concert at Leighton Park School on the afternoon of Sunday, 30th March, to which everybody is invited. During this event, they will be presented with the Minerva Trophy and honoured for their outstanding achievement.
Congratulations to Zuleyha, Amelia, and Sawako on this fantastic accomplishment!
Ally at The Woodley Festival
Ally has achieved an impressive 3rd place in the Violin Solo category for 16-year-olds and under by performing Concertino in G Major. This accomplishment reflects her hard work and dedication to mastering the violin.
Congratulations to Ally for this fantastic achievement!
