Through-school Gala Concert
The second of this week’s through school music events was the Gala Concert featuring Prep and Senior School instrumental ensembles and another display of talent and enthusiasm for music. The Humphreys Theatre was the ideal setting for a varied and eclectic programme, featuring music in a wide range of styles and genres, from Bruno Mars and Green day, to Haydn and Grieg.
Instrumental music of course takes many forms, and it was wonderful to see Caterham School pupils of all ages performing classical music, jazz, funk, folk music, and pop and rock. Caterham Prep got the concert underway, with the Concert Band confidently playing arrangements of That’s What I Like (Bruno Mars) and Everything Is Awesome (Shawn Patterson). The Orchestra followed this with Over The Rainbow, alongside two pieces from Grieg’s famous Peer Gynt Suite No. 1. Year 6 then took us into rock mode, with a performance of Wake Me Up When September Ends, from Green Day’s American Idiot album. As part of their curriculum, Year 6 learn the guitar during the Spring Term, culminating in learning to play and sing a pop song, which they then present at one of our flagship concerts. They were ably accompanied by a staff band and the audience clearly loved seeing a whole year group performing together.
We then heard the prep Flute Trio play an arrangement of the lyrical To A Wild Rose by Edward MacDowell. The Wilberforce Quartet (Senior School) gave an assured and polished rendition of the theme and variations movement from Haydn’s well-known Emperor Quartet, before the Soderberg Quartet (Prep School) joined forces with them to play the third movement of the same piece.
Our ever-popular and versatile Swing Band treated the audience to Herbie Hancock’s funky Chameleon, the jazz standard Fly Me To The Moon, and Quincy Jones’s Soul Bossa Nova. The highly talented members of the Saxophone Ensemble rounded off the evening with an evocative performance of Kaval Sviri, a Bulgarian folk song, and the lively Mas Que Nada by Jorge Ben.
The concert was supported by the tuition, conducting and playing of three of our fantastic Visiting Music Teachers, Mr Alex Glover (guitar), Dr Matt London (saxophone) and Mr Alastair Warren (trombone); it is such a valuable experience for pupils to have their teachers play alongside them and making music together. We are grateful to all of our VMTs, who collectively teach around 300 lessons to our pupils every week.
A huge well done to all the performers for an outstanding concert.
