A Year of Music

and the Duke of Edinburgh present to see it officially unveiled. With the Wakeham Choristers singing for this special occasion, both Mr Geoghegan and I were invited to share in the celebration and even to meet The Queen at the reception afterwards. The choristers represented the school immaculately, as singers and ambassadors alike, and the occasion was truly memorable.

The other major highlight of the musical calendar for me was the Drama and Music Departments’ joint production of Cabaret. Beforehand, I have to confess, it was a show about which I knew relatively little. Kander’s music is cleverly crafted to compliment the spectrum of emotions on the journey through the work. With a cast and orchestra made up entirely of Olavians, it was an achievement of which all involved should feel very proud. The experience of preparing, rehearsing and staging a production on this scale across multiple nights is a very intense and enriching one; one which I hope all participants will remember for a lifetime.

Year on year, the music-making at St Olave’s continues to unearth impressive individual and ensemble achievements in our students. Though we have unfortunately to bid farewell to a number of our talented musicians annually, the baton passes on and, without fail, the next generation is ready to pick it up and run at least as fast. At the close of another year, I hope that each musician in the team is looking back, reflecting upon some great successes. Those whose careers carry on with us next year are, I hope, revving engines with excitement at the prospects of what is in store.

Matthew Price S___Director of Music

Autumn Mid-Term Concert

The Mid-Term Concert, held on 15th November, once again showcased the wide-ranging talents of the school’s soloists and ensembles. Parents, friends and teachers gathered in the chapel and were treated to an impressive array of performances from all involved.

Given the difficulty of mastering string instruments, it is most encouraging that two of the outstanding performances came from cellists Dominic Jelf and Eric Leung. There was a range of ages and a diversity of instruments from Year 7

Sachin Balaji’s Mozart Piano Sonata, to Year 13 Dominic McDonald’s mature Guitar solo. Good playing was evident in two Piano Duets, one from Mr Price with Abhishek Patel (his 2nd performance of the week) and the other from Hoan Truong and Calvin On. Other notable performances came from the Junior Jazz Band, Cristiano Da Cruz’s violin solo, and vocal duets/trios from Jonathan Leech and Alaric Belmain, and from a smaller-than-usual Cantores (Oscar Ridout, Thomas Bridges and Oliver Morrell). Well done to everyone involved.

Wakeham Choristers

On Thursday 8th November the Wakeham Choristers had the pleasure of singing in the presence of Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh at a special Service of Dedication to commemorate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. They then had the honour of singing in a service to celebrate the life and work of His Majesty King Michael of Romania, in the presence of The King and Their Royal Highnesses Crown Princess Margarita and Prince Radu. And then on Wednesday 14th November, the boys were called on for a third occasion to sing, in the presence of HRH Princess Anne, at a Service of Dedication for new members of the Victorian Order.

Christmas Lights Switch On

Despite the appropriately arctic weather to complement Orpington’s electric answer to the aurora borealis, our students drowned out the storm and warmed the festive spirits of a brave but audibly appreciative crowd. The band played a fun selection of lively Christmas music that was enjoyed by all, making good on MP Joe Johnson’s promise of a splendid yuletide extravaganza.

Christmas Concert

Those who turned out on a freezing cold Wednesday 5th December were treated to a sparkling Christmas Concert this year. Under the fluent baton of Mr Price, the Symphony Orchestra started off with impressive renditions of extracts from Grieg’s ‘Peer Gynt’ and Elgar’s ‘Nimrod’ before the Chamber Choir tackled, with great accomplishment, three beautiful a-cappella carols by Taverner, Stopford and Lauridsen.

The Jazz and Brass bands were both confidently led by Martin Bunce and really got the Christmas spirit buzzing with up-tempo Rudolph and Bare Necessities, and a tight Christmas medley. It was good to see Mr Geoghegan masterfully directing the full forces of the Choir, including the 450 parent Choir, in a powerful performance of Pergolesi’s Magnificat.

You would rarely hear such mellow strings in a school concert as Douglas Blew’s Chamber Orchestra playing Schiassi’s ‘Weinachts Symphonie’, before John Castle and the Symphonic Wind Band rounded off the evening with a riotous ‘Hollywood Milestones’. Solo items from two of our most talented Year 13s, James Watson and Peter Leigh, elicited well-deserved applause, and enhancement by several of our recent leavers, friends and peripatetic players was greatly appreciated.

With some seasonal readings interspersing the musical items, and mulled wine and mince pies to cheer the palate in the interval, the whole evening was a perfect start to Christmas.

Music Workshop

On Monday 28th January, the AS and A Level Music students travelled to the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the South Bank Centre to attend a workshop and performance of their set work ‘Prélude à l’aprèsmidi d’un faune’ by Claude Debussy. Following an enlightening talk contextualising the work in relation to musical trends of the late 19th century, the students enjoyed a sparkling performance of the piece performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.

Norman Trotman Winner

Not one but two of the seven finalists in BYMT’s Norman Trotman Competition were Olavians this year, Stefan Beckett (13W) on percussion and Thomas Hadden (13W) on saxophone. The entire evening was an impressive display of seven of the most talented musical performers in the borough and, in the climax of a fabulous evening, Stefan was awarded the First Prize and the Norman Trotman Trophy for a performance that was both sensitive and technically flawless, keeping the whole audience spellbound.

Cabaret

The St Olave’s performances of Cabaret in March were a huge success. With the Great Hall laid out as the KitKat Klub, the audience was truly drawn into the performance, in the most effective 3D visual experience that can only be achieved in live contexts. The clever construction of the show, which transitions gradually from the pleasures of the decadent Berlin social scene through to the demise of society under Nazi rule, was portrayed in turn with elegance, flair and grit by the double stage-cast. The glamorously bedecked orchestra rose to the challenges of being the KitKat Klub Stage Band. The playing was mature, authoritative and sensitive and completed the picture of the perfect evening for all involved.

Spring Concert

For a number of Olavians, the Spring Concert was a fantastic fitting finale to their season of music at the school. The evening was an opportunity both to showcase a wealth of high-quality musicianship and to say farewell to the Year 13 students who have supported music-making at the school, some for as long as seven years. There was an atmosphere of warm appreciation amongst the audience members, and of happy memories, as the performers pulled together for the final major event of this year’s musical calendar.

The night lived up to the high standards set by previous concerts, whilst the audience were treated to ensembles and solos from a wide variety of musical traditions. Lyrical vocal solos were given by Sebastian Cook (12L) and Richard Decker (9B) and dexterous playing was exhibited by Karen Mortby (12H), Stefan Beckett (13W) and Elliot Beagley (12H) on oboe, marimba and violin respectively. We reminisced over the wonderful performances of ‘Cabaret’, as five numbers from the show were specially resurrected for the occasion. The Brass Band, Chamber Choir, Guitar Group and Chamber Orchestra all had their moments to shine. Also, the 450 Choir went a cappella for the first time, singing three items with skill and conviction. Special mention must finally go to John Castle who, after an impressive 23 years, is stepping down as Director of the Symphonic Wind Band. In their last performance under his leadership, many former students returned to join the current cohort to wish Mr Castle well and send him off with fond memories of a terrific rendition of a work by Malcolm Arnold.

Jazz Night

The annual Jazz Night was a treat for those who attended including impressive solos from Thomas Hadden (13W) on both sax and vocals; Stefan Beckett (13W) provided his usual top quality on percussion; there was some sensitive keyboard playing from Samuel Wootten (10K) and the highlight of the evening came from special guest Simon Bates which was rounded off by the Senior Jazz Band.

Samba Workshop

During Activity Week, Year 8 had a Samba day and were introduced to a range of percussion instruments and to a new style of music. The instruments we used comprised maracas, drums, cowbells, agogos, ganzas and more! All these were beaten or shaken in various rhythms, creating an extraordinary sound together. We each had a turn on all the instruments; but it was clear everyone was aiming for the big drums! The teacher blew an apito whistle (a whistle with two holes to sound both low and high pitched noises) to give signals to the class, along with hand signals. After a short break, we started to develop a performance unique to the class, such as chanting ‘We will rock you’ or having a call-and-response pattern. Overall, it was a brilliant day that all enjoyed – we would definitely take any opportunity to play Samba again!