Music

Music was back with a bang this year at Kingswood!

After things went quiet during the pandemic, the musicians bounced back, producing such an exciting programme of events for everyone to enjoy. Throughout the year, each ensemble worked tirelessly to perfect their pieces and the level of musical talent shown across all year groups has been exceptional!

OUTSTANDING EXAMINATION RESULTS

The Music Department were delighted to celebrate the following students who achieved their Grade 8 or above this year:

Grade 8

Bryan Au Yeung – Singing with Distinction Izzy Vaughan – Cello with Merit Katie Green – Violin with Distinction Charlotte Nicholson – Trumpet Alex Sedcole – Piano with Distinction Kitty Ho – Piano with Merit Snow Sun – Piano with Merit Phoebe Hill – Clarinet

ARSM Diploma

MUSIC EVENTS 2021-2022

The renewed vigour of this academic year saw new musical highlights along the way, as well as a welcome return of much-loved events. Here’s a quick roundup of just some of the many concerts, trips and events the musicians have enjoyed:

• A Night at the Musicals – showcased the vocal talents of students of all ages, taking to the Theatre stage to entertain with songs from the shows.

The audience gathered to enjoy food and wine, as well as the talented singers performing some of the most memorable show tunes of the past 70 years, with everything from West Side Story to Dear Evan Hansen.

• Hairspray – a rare night off for the musicians took them to Bristol Hippodrome to see the acclaimed tour of this smash hit musical.

• Wells Cathedral School A Level Day – our A Level sets enjoyed the chance to discuss their 20th Century set works in a series of lectures offered at

Wells Cathedral School.

• Christmas Concert – the traditional festivities returned with all of

Kingswood’s ensembles in full display.

• Carol Service at Bath Abbey – the senior carol service was a triumphant return for the choir at Bath Abbey, after a lengthy hiatus due to the refurbishment works. The service offered a wonderful retelling of the

Nativity, including choral works by Malcolm Archer, Dan Forrest and Harold

Darke, alongside the traditional Christmas carols we all know and love.

• The Scholars’ Concert – featuring the department’s Music Scholars:

Year 7 – Ben Bradford, Sunday Johnston; Year 8 – Beth Dinnis, Leo

Muscroft, Santiago Tankard, Elfriede Wong; Year 9 – Alexander Kirkwood,

Max Wilson, Jayden Yip; Year 10 – Anna Haldenby, William Greig; Year 11 –

Katie Green, Joe Randolph, Aurora Vergani; Year 12 – Freddie Stockton,

Emily Watkins; Year 13 – Colby Chu, Larissa Man, Storm Neech, Mia

Randolph, Izzy Vaughan.

• Piano & Percussion Concert – including pianists, drummers and percussionists from across all the year groups.

• Christmas Choir

Recording

Westwood Voices and

Kingswood Choir undertook a two day recording session in the wonderful acoustic of

Holy Trinity, Bradford on Avon, laying down tracks for their upcoming album which will be on sale this coming Christmas!

• Cardiff Trip – to support our A Level students, we travelled to Cardiff's

St David's Hall to hear the London Mozart Players perform a programme featuring Young Musician of the Year finalist, Isata Kanneh-Mason.

To conclude the concert, the orchestra played one of the A Level set works which gave a real insight into the analysis of the symphony.

• The Spring Concert – a showcase of all the major ensembles, including

Senior Orchestra, Westwood Orchestra, Kingswood Brass Ensemble,

Kingswood Clarinet Ensemble, Kingswood Strings, Senior String Quartet,

Westwood Voices, Kingswood Choir and Kingswood Jazz Orchestra!

• Sixth Form Showcase – entirely devised and organised by the Sixth Form musicians, this evening was a wonderful celebration of the many and varied talents of our senior students.

• The Bath Festival – for the return of the International Bath Festival,

Kingswood Jazz Orchestra opened Party in the City with a toe-tapping set at the Assembly Rooms. Just down the road, Westwood Voices performed in the Schools Voices project, singing songs written by all the schools across the city in a wonderful Concert for the People of Bath.

Kingswood’s song Mountains was chosen as one of the final pieces to be performed, alongside Bath Philharmonia and the Band of Her

Majesty’s Royal Marines School of Music.

• KATS – the annual Music and

Drama awards celebrated the many achievements of the department’s musicians, alongside their dramatic counterparts – read more about it elsewhere in this edition!

• Summer Showcase – to finish the year, Kingswood Jazz Orchestra took the stage one more time with some chart-topping hits, including Moves Like Jagger and

Can’t Stop the Feeling, alongside old classics like Billie Jean and

YMCA! Not to be outdone, the

Year 11, 12 and 13 vocalists were backed by the pro-band and brought the house down with power house performances.

• Lunchtime Concert Series, Whole

School Services & Assemblies

– a whole host of individual and group performances have provided countless performance opportunities for our musicians to showcase their talent and hone their performance skills.

Well done to each and every performer this year!

YEAR 13 MUSIC SCHOLARS

This year’s Year 13 Music Scholars are a distinguished group of the finest instrumentalists and singers.

• Colby Chu • Larissa Man • Storm Neech • Mia Randolph • Izzy Vaughan

Over their many years, they have each contributed in hugely significant ways, from performing extensively as soloists and in ensembles, to touring with the department, leading sectionals in rehearsals and being a wonderful influence for the younger musicians. They, along with the many other musicians in the same year group, have been such reliable, goodhumoured and positive students to work with and will be sorely missed!

Mr Andy Barton

(Director of Music)

MUSIC TRIP, LONDON

Just after the Summer term ended, students from the Music Department took a short excursion over to the capital to take in the sights and explore some of the fantastic musical venues of London, as well as seeing some live theatre.

The trip started at the Musical Museum in Kew, which houses an eclectic and unusual collection of mechanical instruments. The musicians were in awe of the complex and intricate mechanics of self-playing pianos, organs and even orchestras! After some time experimenting with early synthesisers and a theremin, the group were treated to a mini concert by the famous Wurlitzer organ which not only plays itself, but also has literal bells and whistles to accompany the music!

The next day brought a revealing backstage tour of the Royal Opera House. This incredible venue in Covent Garden houses one of the most celebrated opera and ballet stages in the world, with almost everything produced in house including costumes, shoes, wigs and sets. The whole venue is mammoth in size and scale, and as a repertory theatre it is possible to hold seven different productions at once in the 37m fly tower! A chance to see some of the Royal Ballet School rehearsals on stage capped off this incredible experience. Following some downtime in St James’s Park, the musicians showed their artistic sides, recreating musical scenes that caught their eye in the National Gallery. All of this was the lead up to the main event – an evening watching Dear Evan Hansen at the Noël Coward Theatre. This show, written by Pasek and Paul (most famous for The Greatest Showman), was a true spectacle of singing, acting and theatre production. The group were astounded by the whole show and the emotional impact that moved everyone in the theatre.

The final day of this short jaunt allowed some time to do a spot of shopping at the O2 Arena before hopping across the river to visit the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. One of the world’s leading conservatoires, the group were fortunate to have a tour of the facilities and a chance to meet some of the teaching staff, before observing two rehearsals: a piano duet being coached on some fierce Stravinsky, followed by the final dress rehearsal of opera scenes. None of the students on the trip had ever before ventured into an opera studio and sitting up close and personal on the stage with the powerful singers was truly breath-taking!

THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT IN

FULL SWING…