15
Summer Concert This year’s Summer Concert, performed in Big School, followed the excitement of Sports Day and a barbecue hosted by the Headmaster and members of the College Council. All of our major ensembles took part and this provided a varied and rich programme of music, from the Orchestra’s performance of the First Movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No.1 in C major, Op.21, Adagio molto – Allegro con brio, to the ever-popular Jazz Band that delivered toe-tapping favourites, including Stevie Wonder’s Superstition. The Percussion Ensemble, which is mostly comprised of Lower School pupils, performed an original composition by Jasmine Gobbo (Foundation Year, Ellerslie House) and the 116-strong Chapel Choir brought this very successful evening to a close with a passionate and powerful performance of Handel’s Zadok the Priest. Rhian Grundy, Head of Contemporary and Popular Music
Pitch Black Concert Charlie Tuengerthal (No.6), who, as part of her International Baccalaureate course of study, has been helping at The Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford, had the idea of putting on the Pitch Black Concert that took place in Big School. Charlie’s aim was to offer an unconventional experience of live music through the use of blindfolds, balloons and an unusual seating structure. The idea was to facilitate an understanding of how visual impairment makes an impact upon one’s perception of the world. Concentrating the stimulus through one sensory medium would also, she hoped, have the effect of making the music more powerful. Charlie, who is passionate about the Arts, found that fellow pupils were very supportive of her. She managed to put together an impressive programme of performances that ranged from classical to popular music for the enjoyment of all.
Vanessa Young who is Housemistress of No.6 says, “I have to say it was a simply amazing evening and everything about it was very creative and ingenious.” Performing were: Charlie Tuengerthal (No. 6), Will Raby-Smith (School House) Matthew Guy (No.1), Hannah Michell (No.4), Francis Tocher (No.5), Carla Schröder (No.6), Tash Bishop (No.3,) Heather Macdonald (No.3), Annie O’Gorman (No.3), Alice Elt (No.3), Hugh Beaumont (No.2), Cezar Rugasira (School House), Claud Letts (School House). The team helping with the organisation of the concert with Charlie were: Ben Jaletzke (No.2), Oliver Devillard (No.5), Stephen Esiri (No.9), Calvin Kuhn (School House), Mykola Baslakov (No.1), Polly Woodhouse (Ellerslie House), Izzy Fieldhouse-Allen (No.8), Arnaud Legrand (No.2) and Moritz Wendelstadt (No.7).