4 March 2022

The Annual Chamber Music Evening returned on Wednesday after a two-year break, and presented us with ninety-five minutes of incredibly varied music-making at a very high standard.

We heard performers from all year groups of the school from First Year to Upper Sixth, from Bach and Handel to contemporary composer, Tony Osborne, and everything in between – Haydn, Schubert and Dvorak. The ensemble genres varied from strings to woodwind and piano trio and duo – not forgetting a jazzy trio for double basses.

This concert is a particular highlight in the musical calendar as it is the one where the pupils present their work on their own with neither staff direction nor intervention. It is wonderful to hear them making music together, arranging extra rehearsals as necessary, and in performance, really listening to each other and working together both as a team and as soloists

The school is lucky to have some phenomenally talented and dedicated musicians at the present time and they are so well supported in their endeavours by a gifted instrumental staff to whom we should pay tribute, particularly to Miss Stulting, whom, as Head of Instrumental Studies, is the new coordinator of our chamber music. The concert was rounded off by a “Palm Court Trio”, one of three ensembles, together with the Fifth Year Flute Trio and the Fourth Year Quartet, who have won places in the semi-finals of the National Chamber Music Competition. Congratulations to them – and to all of the performers.

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