Drapers’ Hall Concert

The annual concert at the Drapers’ Hall is undoubtedly the highlight of our musical calendar. The beautiful setting never fails to bring out the best in our performers and the event is overlaid with a sense of occasion. The Thirds in the Choir, making their first visit to the Hall, are inevitably stunned by the riches of their surroundings, whilst members of the Upper Sixth, some of whom have made regular appearances at Drapers’ since they too were awestruck Thirds, are emotional that this will be their last performance in this gilded chamber.

From the stirring opening notes of the Entrance of the Montagues and Capulets from Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet, performed with panache by the Bancroft’s Sinfonia, we knew that this was going to be a special concert. Less familiar was Welsh composer William Mathais’ Serenade for Orchestra. Its three contrasting movements were the ideal vehicle to display the variety of talent within the Sinfonia.

The Sinfonia was followed by the youngest performers of the evening with The Thirds’ Choir, directed by Mrs Whitbread, singing

Larysa Kuzmenko’s atmospheric

Winds

The choice of choral music was varied. Radiohead’s Creep might not appear to be an obvious choice for the A Capella harmonies of Bancroft’s Barbers but their stark performance was a spine- tingling triumph. This contrasted with the joyous numbers from Hollywood musicals delivered by the Senior Boys’ Voices (Luck Be A Lady) and Senior Girls’ Voices (All that Jazz). Under Mrs Foinette’s direction, the Bancroft’s Singers can always be relied on to deliver, and they did not disappoint on this occasion, with three twentieth century pieces. All the vocal pieces were marked by a real crispness and clarity in the singing, which enabled us to appreciate the lyrics as well as the music.

The Camerata, directed by Mr MacManus, performed Debussy’s Danse sacrée et danse profane, which gave harpist and Music Scholar Oscar B a chance to take centre stage. The evening ended with a second chance to hear excerpts from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saëns. The members of the audience who had missed the performances at School earlier this month were in for a treat. Matthew P seemed to have grown in stature, displaying astonishing maturing in his conducting and had Jo L and Nathan T’s enjoyment of their playful duetting increased?

Thank you so much to Mrs Whitbread, Mrs Foinette, Ms Middleton and Mr MacManus for all their hard work with our musicians. Thank you too to the Master and Wardens of the Drapers’ Company for allowing us to use this magnificent space. Finally, congratulations to all those Bancroftians who took part – whether for the first or last time at Drapers’ –and giving us such a memorable evening.