This year’s New Year Charity Concert focused on easy listening with the entire Second
Year opening the concert with
Under the Sea
from the film
The Little Mermaid
. Lower
School Band followed with music from the Harry Potter films. Chamber Orchestra
introduced a more serious note with Vivaldi’s Concerto Grosso in D minor followed
by Second Orchestra with a very enjoyable ‘damp’ medley –
Raindrops Keep Falling,
Come Rain or Come Shine
and
Singin’ in the Rain
. First Orchestra took us to the
interval with Elgar’s Cello Concerto (first movement) and a Burt Bacharach medley.
Jamie Corish, the solo cellist, played beautifully.
The second half belonged to two of the senior bands, Brass Band and Big Band.
Brass Band played
Army of the Nile
and
Music to Watch Girls By
. Despite the hordes
of trumpets (some 20 or so), the lower brass held their own, especially the lovely
chromatic sound of Harry Brown’s euphonium. Finally, Big Band rounded the evening
off with the inimitable
Pink Panther
and
Cold Duck Time
. The retiring collection raised
£285 for NOFA, the National Orchestra For All.
9
Abingdon
Music and Drama
Wednesday 18 May
Junior Scholars’ and Soloists’ Concert
6pm Amey Theatre
admission free
Wednesday 23 June
Lower School Gala Concert
6pm Amey Theatre
admission free
Wednesday 29 June
Summer Concert
7pm Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford
Tickets and event details online at
Dates for your Diary
Music scholars impressed appreciative
audiences in two concerts this term.
There are five scholars concerts
throughout the year.
Scholars’ Concerts
Nine woodwind players enjoyed a woodwind
masterclass with the eminent clarinettist,
composer and musical educationalist, Paul
Harris. Paul worked with flautists, oboists,
clarinettists, saxophonists and a bassoonist
and had many thoughtful insights and
recommendations.
Pro Corda
Five of the 11 chamber ensembles who
took part in the preliminary round of
the Pro Corda Chamber Music Festival
got through to the semi final held at St
Helen’s at the beginning of March.
The annual chamber evening was
also a tremendous success with 15
ensembles directed and presented by
the boys with a wide range of music
from large and small ensembles.
Woodwind concert
and Masterclass
We were delighted to welcome the
Chilingirian String Quartet for their third
biennial visit to Abingdon School. In the
evening this internationally famous string
quartet played a programme of music by
Beethoven, Bartok and Dvorak, which was
enthusiastically received by the audience in
the Amey Theatre.
Earlier in the day the members of
the quartet, led by their charismatic
Armenian first violinist, Levon Chilingirian,
had kindly offered to coach our 12
chamber ensembles. The boys found the
masterclass extremely helpful, learning to
think about subtle aspects of their playing.
Chilingirian concert
and Masterclass
New Year Charity Concert
