Music news round-up
7 Dec 2015
A fitting musical tribute to the School’s 400th anniversary, Thursday 26 November saw our major musical ensembles perform in an unforgettable concert set in the spectacular surroundings of King’s College Chapel. Our assembled brass musicians, accompanied by a battery of percussion, kicked off proceedings with Aaron Copland’s bombastic Fanfare for the Common Man, resounding throughout the fan-vaulted space several seconds after the last note. Thereafter, the Symphony Orchestra pulled off the virtuosic strains of Brahms’ Academic Festival Overture with aplomb; the Perse Strings and Soloists sensitively performed a movement each from two serenades for strings, one by Elgar and the other by Josef Suk. The first half ended with Goff Richards’ colourful, drivingly rhythmic Trailblaze, performed by Wind Band I. The entire second half was dedicated to Fauré’s sublime Requiem, and Senior Chorale could not have hoped for a more evocative setting in which to perform this choral masterpiece. Several Perse musicians were among the accompanying orchestra, while our very own Head of Singing, Mrs Chloe Beresford-Jones, enchanted the audience with her rendition of Pie Jesu. The entire evening was a celebration not only of the sheer skill and talent of our pupils, but also of the wonderful sense of community brought together by the music at The Perse. Congratulations to all who took part in this memorable evening.
The concert was the pinnacle of what continues to be a busy term in the run-up to Christmas. Wind Band 1 delighted late-night shoppers at the Grand Arcade on Wednesday, and repeated their performance at Scotsdales Garden Centre yesterday, in aid of the East Anglia Children’s Hospices.
The Lithburn Eagles won the hotly-contested House Harmony Competition with their rendition of Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours in assembly on Wednesday. The Perse Musician of the Year Percussion Final took place last week: well done to the two winners, Angus Goddard (Year 9) (untuned category) and Jake Murdoch (Year 9) (tuned category), as well as our highly commended performers Jack Rusted (Lower Sixth) and John Hayward (Year 9), and Sachin Shankar (Year 9), who won ‘most promising’ performer.
We received details of our latest batch of ABRSM internal exams, and congratulate the following pupils on securing a distinction grade: Jay Sardesai, Jonathan Black, Matthew Chan, Katy Ellis, Georgina Follows, Joseph Greaney, Maeve Halligan, Masaki Hattori, Murdo Macgregor, James Martin, Seo Jung Park, James Rocca, Sachin Shankar, Tatiana Vandermark, Peter White and Kimi Willson-Brandtner.
On Friday afternoon, Year 7-9 pupils took part in a Junior Carol Service at St. John The Evangelist Church on Hills Road; and next Thursday, the thoroughly festive Senior Carol Service will take place at St. John’s College Chapel.
