Ensembles deliver a pitch perfect send-off at Leavers’ Concert
This year’s Leavers’ Concert was another joyful evening with a great variety of ensembles and a fitting celebration for our wonderful Upper Sixth Form leavers.
Brass Ensemble provided an uplifting opening with three imaginative Beatles arrangements interspersed, of course, with some trademark jokes from Mrs Johnson. These pieces showcased the breadth of brass talent across different year groups and featured a number of impressive solos.
This was followed by the first of our two Jazz Bands, S Club Diminished Seventh, with performances of ‘Ain’t That A Kick In The Head’ and ‘Midnight At The Oasis’. Anjali Abraham, fresh from her starring lead role in ‘Sister Act’ last term, provided a confident vocal lead and this was complemented with typically imaginative improvisations under the leadership of Mr Hamilton.
The first half concluded with two rousing and a cappella vocal arrangements of well-known Beach Boys and Earth, Wind and Fire tunes sung by Chamber Choir, conducted by Director of Music Mr Dow.
‘I Get Around’, arranged by Mr Dow, was followed by ‘September’, arranged by Old Stopfordian Sam Gilliatt. Both performances impressed the audience with the unaccompanied harmonies and virtuoso scat singing, sending everyone to the interval refreshments in toe-tapping mood.
Wind Orchestra started the second half of the concert in style with two bravura and energetic medleys – ‘Who’s That Masked Man?’ and Van Halen hits, with Karl Jenkins’ ‘Palladio’ providing a fitting contrast.
The next group was the second of our two Jazz Bands, The Dysfunktionals. The first piece ‘Misty’ was performed as a beautiful duet sung by Mia Krywonos and accompanied on the piano by Nathan Monk. This was followed by jazz standard classics ‘Four’ by Miles Davis and ‘Lullaby Of Birdland’ by George Shearing.
The culmination of the evening was the Leavers’ Ensemble item at the end. Mr Dow expressed his thanks on behalf of staff, pupils and parents for the fantastic contribution the Upper Sixth Form musicians have made to the musical life of the school.
The pupils gave lovely speeches as well, thanking the various Music staff, and with various funny anecdotes from their time in school. The tributes spoke volumes about fun and friendship and the wonderful relationships between pupils and with the staff.
Head Mrs Sarah Capewell concluded the evening with her own words of thanks and a final tribute to the leavers.
