The soloists sang magnificently, and particular congratulations must go to 1st Form pupil, Rufus Tassell, who is proving himself to be a young singer of great promise; indeed, it is not surprising that this year he gained a place in the National Youth Boys’ Choir. The Senior Choir joined for the second half of the concert which featured a mixture of music, both sacred and secular. This included a medley from ‘Les Misérables’ and Fauré’s beautiful ‘Cantique de Jean Racine’, written when the composer was only nineteen. The concert concluded with a suitably spirited rendition of ‘Joyful, Joyful’ from Sister Act 2, with Sarah-Jane Revell providing the soulful solo passages. Visiting music teacher, Ben Scott, provided strong support throughout as accompanist on organ and piano.
earlier than usual, this was the last concert at St Lawrence College for a number of 5th and Upper Sixth form pupils and there was an opportunity at the end of the evening to thank them wholeheartedly for their many musical contributions during their time at the School.
There have been plenty of other occasions during the year for pupils to display their musical talents or experience the transformative power of music. Regular informal concerts have continued to serve as a valuable platform for pupils, who are often preparing for examinations and benefit greatly from an opportunity to play to a small and friendly audience. Nearly thirty pupils have taken public music examinations this year, with many Merits and Distinctions being gained along the way. There has been a trip to the Marlowe Theatre to hear the Philharmonic Orchestra play a programme of Harry
After a hiatus of three years since the last Carol Service, it was fantastic to see our beautiful Chapel glowing in the candlelight once again. Sarah-Jane Revell and Rufus Tassell shared the responsibility of starting the services with the first verse of ‘Once in Royal David’s city’ and they both sang impeccably. The services marked the culmination of many weeks of rehearsals and
The pupils clearly loved seeing their teachers up on stage and the performance proved to be a very popular addition to normal proceedings. All Houses sang enthusiastically, but it was obvious which of them had made the best use of their rehearsal time. After some careful deliberation by the judges, Bellerby was once again named the winning House for its performance of ‘2002’ (Anne-Marie). Tower boys were highly commended for their committed singing of ‘One Dance’ (Drake).
Held in the Chapel’s generous acoustic, the Summer Concert included a wonderful variety of music from Johann Sebastian Bach to Gnarles Barkley. There were some impressive solo performances from Martha Goodwin-Hudson (piano), Poppy Alban- Stanley (cello), Marianne Robinson (violin), Sarah-Jane Revell (voice), and Gloria Lau put the organ through its paces in the ‘Fanfare’ by William Mathias. The Orchestra began the concert with a performance of ‘Short ride in a fast machine’ by John Adams. The repetitive, almost hypnotic nature of this minimalist music came across well with Martha Goodwin-Hudson providing a steady pulse on the wood block and triangle. The next piece, ‘Fantasia on Greensleeves’, was rather more familiar to the audience, with Gloria Lau demonstrating her expertise on the harp. Later in the programme, the String Quartet gave a stylish performance of Boccherini’s ‘Minuet’, famously heard in the Ealing comedy, ‘The Ladykillers’. The Senior Choir was in robust voice, singing ‘Over the rainbow’, ‘The Prayer’ and Cohen’s ever-popular ‘Hallelujah’. Finally, the Orchestra rounded off this enjoyable event with two crowd-pleasers: ‘Palladio’ (Karl Jenkins) and ‘Soul Bossa Nova’ (Quincy Jones). With public examinations starting
Potter music, and to London’s Apollo Victoria Theatre to watch the stunning
both Kirby Choir and Senior Choir gave exceptional performances. They joined together to sing ‘The holly and the ivy’ (Gardner), which proved to be a particular favourite with the congregations. It was thrilling to hear the famous descants ringing out during the hymns and it truly felt like the Christmas celebrations had begun! There were some strong contenders for the Battle of the Bands competition this year. Kirby opened proceedings with a well-rehearsed arrangement of ‘Riptide’, setting a high standard for the older pupils to match. Deacon was eventually awarded first prize, with Gabriel Hayden leading his band in a confident performance of ‘Take me out’ by Franz Ferdinand. There were many praiseworthy individual performances, and the instrumental and vocal prizes went to Poppy Monckton (drum kit) and Otuche Apochi respectively. The theme for the House Singing competition was ‘numbers’ and before the main competition got underway there was a surprise appearance by twenty members of staff, singing the classic Beatles song, ‘When I’m sixty-four’, walking sticks in hand!
production of the long-
It was with much anticipation that the SLC Community Choir began rehearsing again in January. The last time this group sang together was in March 2020, just before the first
running musical,
‘Wicked’. As the Summer Term drew to a close, Kirby
pupils were treated to a fantastic day of Caribbean steel pans workshops, and it was marvellous to hear the joyful sound of Calypso music echoing around the campus. I would like to thank all the visiting music teachers for their work ‘behind the scenes’ in preparing pupils for examinations and concerts, and of course the pupils themselves for their enthusiasm, commitment and good humour, which has made working with them such a pleasure.
lockdown struck. Staff (both past and present), parents and friends took part this year and rehearsed once a week in preparation for the concert at the end of the Lent Term. The main item in the concert was Vivaldi’s Gloria and the solos were provided by Maggie Bazin, Rufus Tassell and professional alto, Isabella Abbot Parker. Despite not being a particularly large choir, the sound produced was impressive and the singers coped admirably with the challenges of the music which, though difficult, is hugely rewarding to perform.
Mr J Bowyer, Director of Music
LAWRENTIAN 2023
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