Category: Music
Congratulations to all those who took either Trinity or Associated Board Music Exams at the end of last term. We had a wonderful set of results that reflects the huge levels and breadth of talent within the school. Particular congratulations to the following who achieved with a merit or distinction in their exam:
Khushi (Y9) – grade 2 piano with merit
Sophie (Y8) – grade 3 piano with distinction
Ianthe (Y11) – grade 7 violin with distinction
Ianthe (Y11) – grade 8 Trumpet
Etiane (Y10) – grade 6 cello with distinction
Poppy (Y8) – grade 1 percussion with distinction
Jemima (Y13) – grade 7 singing with distinction
Madelaine (Y13) – grade 8 singing with distinction
Freddie (Y10) – grade 4 singing with merit
Hannah (Y13) – grade 8 singing with distinction
Amy (Y12) – grade 7 viola with distinction
Brendan (Y12) – grade 5 percussion with merit
Abby (Y10) – grade 7 flute with distinction
Charlotte (Y7) – grade 2 flute with merit
Florence (Y7) – grade 2 flute with merit
Abigail (Y7) – grade 3 clarinet with distinction
Henry (Y9) – grade 7 trombone with distinction
Jessica (Y10) – grade 4 singing with merit
Jasmine (Y8) – grade 7 cello with merit
James (Y7) – grade 5 cello with distinction
Julia (Y10) – grade 2 singing with merit
Toby (Y12) – grade 6 alto saxophone with distinction
Asmee (Y9) – grade 7 violin with distinction
Chloe (Y8) – grade 3 alto saxophone with merit
Iris (Y9) – grade 7 violin with merit
Sophie (Y10) – grade 1 piano with distinction
Sophie (Y10) Grade 4 Trumpet
Isla (Y8) – grade 2 singing with merit
Jade (Y10) – grade 3 violin with merit
Luke (Y12) – grade 4 percussion with merit
Thomas (Y10) – Grade 5 Trombone
Lucia (Y7) – Grade 3 violin
Toby (Y11) – Grade 6 Piano
Ianthe (trumpet), Madelaine (singing) and Hannah (singing) all achieved their grade 8 which is amazing.
Triumphant! Majestic!! Glorious!!!
Readers of my reviews will know I am not prone to hyperbole…
But I have to say…
In twenty-one years at Woodbridge School…
Few moments match Friday night.
You had to be there – better still for those of us lucky enough to be part of the performance (I do apologise, Mr Milton, for my personal take on about 20% of the bass line score).
Bitter cold without (even a hint of snow at one point); but a thousand candles within (and under-pew heating), and three hundred host of audience. A wonderful, wonderful setting (and here our sincere thanks to Holy Trinity Church, Blythburgh for the splendid hospitality afforded us; and also to The White Hart, Blythburgh, for deliciously restorative warmth, hot chocolate and sweets in the afternoon; and to Henham Barns for the generous offer of parking space for our intrepid audience).
And then the performance itself – led by Mr Milton at an inspirational gallop that accentuated so brilliantly the stunning music, the joyful sense of dance in so many places, and the exalted text. This is the greatest story, and here it was told to breathtaking effect by our orchestra and chorus of staff, friends, OWs and pupils, and of course by our four outstanding soloists: Hilary Cronin, Nathan Mercieca, James Beddoe and Benedict Williams.
So many highlights, so many memories competing for space: the notes still tumble through me – not a moment seems to pass but another theme tricks me into an idle hum; Mejedi’s extraordinary trumpet solos singing out above the maelstrom; orchestral moments of calm; Jonathan’s timpani accentuating the drama; the harpsichord and organ, the strings and woodwind… and the voices. Those voices rising up and up to the rooftop angels – you could almost sense their wings coming to life in joyful response.
So, so many congratulations to so, so many people, but most of all to Mr Milton – for the extraordinary vision triumphantly realised. We are all immensely richer for the moment.
And now it’s a memory.
One to treasure.
It’s Mozart’s Requiem on Friday 29 March… Norwich Cathedral!
Good heavens above. What a stunning concert at St Mary’s – and how nice to see it so full – barely a seat to be had. Hundreds of happy Woodbridge friends and family were given an Advent treat to savour.
Seckford Sinfonia set the bar high from the start, with extraordinary poise for performers so relatively young and inexperienced. But they are of course the next generation and aspire to standards that were to unfold in front of them from then on. They are right to aspire, I should add, as their renderings of Susato, Ling and Williams were joyous and skilful.
The guitar ensemble, led by Mr Plackett and his excellent joke, were a delight. The soft sonority of classical guitar music is immensely beguiling, and our ensemble did Bach and Power proud with their beautiful mix of unison and harmony.
Jazz next, with a jaunty Let it Snow from the saxophone ensemble – we were properly in the mood now, one reinforced magnificently in the second half by the brass ensemble in their own jazz take on Go, tell it on the Mountain. Christmas is on the way and these two groups left us in no doubt! Sublime.
And sublime is the perfect word for the Chamber Orchestra’s astonishing English idyll. Elgar and Vaughan Williams – lyrical, magical, almost mystical in their embrace of our heritage. And the performances matched the music, with stunning precision in their floating melodies.
All change for the Concert Band – vitality, exuberance, panache and energy in wonderfully familiar Coates, and breathtakingly sophisticated Shostakovich. We all deserved our refreshments after that! Though not too many refreshments… the Swing Band swung us back into our seats with some blistering Bernstein before completing with Stolen Moments and Walk the dinosaur (Boom chakka…). Utterly brilliant with a series of solos earning well deserved applause. The Percussion ensemble kept us enthralled with a hypnotic take on Carl Orff; the Chamber Choir delighted with two gorgeous favourites – The long and winding road Flying us to the Moon and back… (do join us at one of our Carol Services to enjoy more of their repertoire, also being recorded next week!).
Cellisti calmed us all down again – beautiful, poised and poetic. And then the Symphony Orchestra to close with two fabulous overtures: Ruddigore and Nabucco. Great tunes, so Mr Milton assured us – and he was right. Magnificent, triumphant, Regal in their scope. What a finish. What a night!
Thanks so much to all of you who shared such an exceptional evening of music making; but most of all thank you to our young performers and to the host of music staff who have helped you achieve so wonderfully well.
On Tuesday the last of this terms Crotchet and Cake recitals was held in School Hall. Thank you to all those who have performed in the four recitals and shared their music making with the other students, staff, parents and visitors who have attended. These small recitals are important ways in which students can play and sing in an informal setting and gain valuable performance experience (as well as eat some delicious cakes!). Please do look out for the dates for next term’s recitals and support the students who sign up to perform.
Thirty five eager pianists participated in this year’s piano festival held on Thursday 8 March.
We were fortunate to welcome Richard Stafford as our adjudicator. Richard is Director of Music at Ardingly College and an accomplished musician and educator.
His comments on the performances were insightful and astute and all the performers benefited from his advice. He also gave a mini-masterclass to the intermediate level pianists, which helped them raise their standards even higher. It was wonderful to hear such an array of performances encompassing a broad range of repertoire, and all pupils should be commended for their participation. The winners were:
Beginners’ Class: Sophie Ralph
Developing Class: Chester Wigzell
Intermediate Class: Toby McNally
Advanced Class: Etiane Cheung
Recital Class: Wolff Lambert
Overall Junior Winner: Etiane Cheung
Overall Senior Winner: Wolff Lambert
Many congratulations one and all, and many thanks again to the adjudicator Mr Stafford.
The snow might have thwarted the music department a couple of weeks ago, forcing cancelled concerts, but, quick as a flash Mr Milton spotted an opportunity to provide a wonderful evening of ‘samples’ last Friday.
The Showcase Concert brought together a glorious range of ensembles, choirs, orchestras and bands, and filled St Mary’s with a heady mix of ancient and very modern. Well, I count ABBA as very modern. And Grease. And Chicago. But I am told I am a little old fashioned… so I was back on more familiar territory with the Chamber Choir’s Weelkes (c 1600!). Anyway, the foot tapping was already well under way by the time the Chamber Choir performed. Seckford Sinfonia had taken on the first two of my ‘very moderns’ with uncontainable smiles and delight (performers and audience); the Concert Band and The Lion King made for splendid soul mates; Cellisti took us to America via Oblivion (an interesting coupling…); Cantabile changed the mood to the sublimely silken with two mesmerising odes, one to eventide, the other to Lilies and Roses, and then joined the Chamber Choir for Chilcott’s take on the Irish Blessing. Alone, the Chamber Choir then built to the unstoppable crescendo of Hogan’s My Soul… Ms Weston pressing the accelerator like Stig – but with infinitely more character, and no white helmet.
After the interval (notable for the enthusiastic chatter of a very happy audience), the Swing Band excelled in a Herbie Hancock quartet, the Percussionists Mambo-mesmerised, the Brass Ensemble waxed and waned (pian’ e forte!) with aplomb and the Symphony Orchestra wowed us with Chigago. Phew! Fantastic! Many, many congratulations to performers and conductors alike – you richly deserved your packed and appreciative audience.
A CHILD OF OUR TIME – ELY CATHEDRAL – THURSDAY 26 APRIL 2018
Woodbridge School Choral Society
Michael Tippett
A Child Of Our Time
Make sure you are a part of what will be a fabulously memorable occasion, on:
26 April 2018 at 7:30pm
A Child of Our Time by Sir Michael Tippett is one of the great masterpieces of twentieth century choral music and a work that continues to be relevant and thought-provoking, as well as searingly beautiful, in our own time.
Tippett began the oratorio in 1939 without any commission but moved by the dawning horror of the Nazi regime in Europe and the events of Kristlanacht particularly. The text considers the light and darkness inside all people and asks some big philosophical questions about our own capacity for good. The music blends African-American spiritual with rich baroque textures and jazz inflections to create a tapestry of some of the most haunting music of the last one hundred years.
Woodbridge School is well known for the exceptional quality and range of its music making. A Child of Our Time is one of the most significant works undertaken and represents the culmination of many months of rehearsal and work. The Choral Society consists of all students who have vocal lessons at the school as well as staff, friends and singers from the wider community. With professional soloists and full orchestra this is a rare opportunity to hear this amazing, challenging and thought-provoking piece in such a beautiful setting.
The concert will also feature the School’s Chamber Choir singing a range of vocal works and the Chamber Orchestra in Vaughan William’s ever-popular Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.
Chris Milton (conductor)
Claire Weston (choral director)
Clare Tunney (soprano)
Hannah Bennett (alto)
Aaron Godfrey-Mayes (tenor)
Meilir Jones (bass)
Beth Spendlove (leader)
Tickets
£20, £15 and £10 are available online at elycathedral.org or from Ely Cathedral Box Office (01353 660349 – open Monday to Saturday from 9.30am until 4pm), or alternatively you can send at email to box.office@elycathedral.org.
Workshops
There are also two workshops to come… and for a confident singer who has not yet joined us, there is still time!
So… sign up: www.woodbridgeschool.org.uk/a-child-of-our-time in good time for the next workshop which are on the following dates:
- Sunday 18 March 2018
- Sunday 22 April 2018
Any further queries should be directed to the Music Administrator:
musicsecretary@woodbridgeschool.org.uk
Woodbridge School’s performance of The Sound of Music brought out the ‘feel-good factor’ and wowed the audience.
View the online photo gallery and report by the East Anglia Daily Times: http://www.eadt.co.uk/…/woodbridge-school-pupils-give-incre…
We would like to take this opportunity to wish the cast and crew of The Sound of Music all the very best for their first performance this evening.
This School Musical will be on all week, with two performances on Friday, and we know it will be a huge success.
Well done to everyone for all their hard work.
A Saturday evening – and in the Library: two new ventures for us (though the Library has been a familiar lunchtime venue for a little while now). It’s nice to make a positive impression, and I have to say the performances were terrific. Mr Milton did a fine job introducing musicians and repertoire alike (and even managed to take precisely the number of words required to allow William Emery and Jenny Clare the time they needed to join us direct from London!); and the musicians did an even finer job of living up to their billing. Add to the mix excellent hospitality from the Friends of Woodbridge Library, and readers will sense the audience left immensely happy and thoroughly well treated.
Cellos and flutes, then a trio and a quartet comprised the first half (before the mulled wine and mince pies); so many very young players – but such maturity of expression and poise of delivery. Variety too – and this was a theme very well carried forward into the second half. Guitars first – such a lovely sound rather too rarely heard in ensemble: Bob Power’s Suite an absolute delight; a second Quartet (Allegro in name, and allegro in nature thanks to Mozart). And then two quite magnificent performances to end:
First, William and Jenny, viola and violin, Mozart’s String Duo. Oh my goodness – the way they interacted: the musical conversation was quite stunning as theme passed back and forth, now one in the lead, now the other. How lucky we were that their train had been on time!
And at the close, the Chamber Orchestra in full playing Holst’s St Paul’s Suite – Mr Milton almost dancing at the front, and the players responding with a deftness of touch, and range of expression, that was stunningly professional. No wonder the applause were so long – long enough to gain an encore, and Pachelbel’s Canon closed the evening. I was glowing on the way home, even on my bike in the chill winter air…