Music Round Up - December 2019

It’s been a hugely busy term in the Music School, with not a week going by without some kind of event! 

The first couple of weeks saw a number of pupils preparing pieces for the Autumn Performance Platform, an informal concert that provides an opportunity for students to perform new pieces in a friendly setting. Patrick Welch impressed everyone with his clear tone on the trumpet in Bart’s Who will buy?, Isabelle Aston played Gounod’s Meditation beautifully on the flute, and Oscar Tallis had everyone’s toes tapping with a spirited performance of Nice and Easy by Brian Bonsor on the recorder. 

A couple of weeks later and it was time for our music teachers Mr Dichmont and Mr Allum to impress everyone with their piano skills. Their recital at Drovers in Singleton attracted an audience close to one hundred people and raised about £1500 for the Chapel Choir’s tour fund. Music included Chopin’s Ballade No. 1, Grieg’s Holberg Suite and some Brahms duets, accompanied by some delicious wine and canapés. 

The half term holiday was the perfect opportunity for those taking part in our Friends and Families Concert to practise their items. It was a joy to see the children performing with the parents, grandparents, friends and distant cousins at the concert, which even saw some original arrangements of popular film scores! This is always a fantastic evening of music making, and this year was no exception. Well done to all involved. 

The following week saw the School Concert swing into action, with the Orchestra beginning proceedings with Peter Warlock’s Capriol Suite. The Senior Choir were on fine form with two ABBA hits, whilst the Flute Group gave a polished performance of Tchaikovsky’s Dance of the Reed Flutes. The Junior Choir melted everyone’s hearts with a lovely performance of songs from Annie, followed spectacularly by Mr Berkley’s Drum Group with his arrangement of Toto’s Africa. Jemima Whitehead gave a beautiful performance of Svensen’s Romance on the violin, whilst the Chapel Choir ended the concert with a spirited performance of Skimbleshanks from the musical Cats. Congratulations to all involved!

The November Performance Platform came hot on the heels of the school concert, and featured numerous solo performances from, among others, Alexis Bartholomew on violin and piano, Rosa Daubeny on violin and Bas Bush on guitar with a lovely performance of a traditional Spanish folk song. 

The usual round of music exams took place in the last few weeks of term, with some excellent results to report. Congratulations to the following, who were all awarded Distinctions:

Cas Kent Initial Drums
Jasmin Hafez Grade 1 Violin
Rafferty Matthews Grade 1 Piano
Sophia Moyler Grade 1 Singing
James Williams Grade 1 Piano
Bas Bush Grade 1 Guitar
Evie Hamer Grade 1 Music Theory
Izzy Perry Grade 2 Singing
Alice Temple Grade 2 Violin
Alexis Bartholomew Grade 2 Violin
Elizabeth Langford Grade 2 Music Theory
Penny Clarke Grade 3 Singing
Jasmin Hafez Grade 3 Singing
Meme Egerton Grade 4 Singing

Year 6 transported everyone to a magical land with their spellbinding performance of Beauty and the Beast, complete with waterfall. Well done to all involved in this lovely show. 

The Chapel Choir’s busiest period of the year began with the Advent Carol Service in Boxgrove Priory at the beginning of December. Always a wonderfully moving service, this year was no exception. This was closely followed by preparations for the Carol Service, alongside their annual trip into Chichester to sing carols and have a well-deserved lunch at Pizza Hut. They also enjoyed several outings to local care homes to entertain the residents! The Senior Carol Service, again held at a packed Boxgrove Priory, featured some lovely music, and the choir were on fine form leading the music. They can now enjoy a few weeks off before preparations begin in earnest for the their tour to Rome at Easter.