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Music scholars and jazz band perform for local residents

Every year the music department is privileged to take part in the Hurst Festival, our local and extremely vibrant arts festival. Our first offering this year was a recital given by our talented music scholars in the college’s Music School. 

The large and extremely knowledgeable audience was entertained by a variety of styles of music from across the centuries. Alfie R, who has only been in the Senior School for a matter of weeks, opened the concert with Richard Rodney Bennett’s Rosemary’s Waltz, which was very sensitively played and set the scene beautifully for music by Elgar, from Georgina S on the violin and by Brahms from Lio S at the piano. The Baroque period was represented by Rachel C playing music by Cervetto and Tom W playing music by Lully, both on the cello. Charlotte S and Noah M have also both just started in the Senior School and gave highly polished performances of music by Gossec and by Tierson. 

Music from more contemporary times was played by Madeline W on the flute, and her performance of Out of the Cool by Dave Heath, perfectly captured the improvisatory and fluid nature of the music. Sophie N performed songs by Alicia Keys and Abi Curtis played piano music by Einaudi – very sensitively indeed. The concert was brought to a close by Safi S who played the first movement of a Mozart piano sonata with vigour, accuracy and considerable aplomb. The audience was most appreciative and fulsome in its praise for all of the performers. 

The following week, the Music School was packed to the rafters again for our extremely popular annual Cake at the College concert. The jazz band entertained many local people whilst they enjoyed tea and cake provided by the college. The band music was punctuated by solos from members of the band and other musicians. Toby S improvised around the jazz standard Autumn Leaves, Lio S played some improvised jazz at the piano before Madi B took to the keys to perform some contemporary jazz and Katie P captivated the audience with her performance of Not a Day Goes By from Merrily We Roll Along. The jazz band ended the concert with a toe-tapping set that sent the audience away with a spring in their step humming many jazz standards from across the ages.