Autumn Concert welcomes appreciative audience back to SGS
It was amazing to have a live crowd back at Stockport Grammar School for the Autumn Concert, the first in-person concert since the Spring term of 2020.
The fabulous celebration of music saw performers from all Senior School year groups, from First Year to Sixth Form, display their talent and for some pupils it was their first live performance at SGS.
The Concert Band kicked off proceedings with ‘Dune Buggy’ by Ralph Ford and ‘North Winds Festival’, a piece that is a musical expression of the north winds.
Junior Jazz Band performed a selection of pieces including American jazz pianist Billy Taylor’s ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free’.
‘Four’ by jazz trumpeter Miles Davis and ‘Corcovado’, a composition Brazilian composer Antônio Carlos Jobim, were expertly performed by the Jazz Band.
The First Orchestra played a trio of songs, starting with ‘Toreador’s Song’ from Carmen Suite No 2. The audience enjoyed the opportunity to participate during a performance of ‘Mambo’ from West Side Story and a medley of songs from the Pirates of the Caribbean concluded the first half of the show.
After the interval, the Junior Percussion Ensemble delivered rousing versions of ‘Believer’ by Imagine Dragons and Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’.
John Philip Sousa’s ‘Liberty Bell March’ was the first of the Brass Ensemble’s two pieces. They followed this well-known piece with the smash-hit ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams.
The Senior Percussion Ensemble transported the audience to the depths of the rainforest with atmospheric versions of ‘Rainforest’ and ‘Amazonia’ from Peter Graham’s ‘Windows Of The World’.
The Chorus brought the show to a close with a medley from the musical Guys and Dolls which included solos from Third Year Dan Wood, Fifth Year Jonathan Hyde and Sixth Formers Gabriel Keeble, Lucy Grundy and Torin Mills.
Reflecting on the concert, Gabriel said: “It was great to be back in front of a live crowd again! It was a little nerve-wracking at the start but the atmosphere was so friendly. I have loved taking part in rehearsals and I am looking forward to the upcoming concerts – especially the Carol Service at St George’s Church.”
