News Autumn Concert 2023 24.11.2023

On Wednesday a packed Bishop Centre played host to the highly anticipated Autumn Concert, featuring no less than 229 performers!

The concert began with an exciting and drama-laden rendition of the famous first movement of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony under the baton of Director of Music Mr Langworthy, before a beautifully lyrical and warm performance of the first movement of Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings, played by String Ensemble and directed by Mrs Garcia. Under the baton of Miss Edwards (Assistant Director of Music), Philharmonia gave an exciting and expressive performance of a medley from Holst’s The Planets, beginning with the ominous ‘Mars’ and ending with the triumphant ‘Jupiter’. Both the Junior and Senior Chamber Choirs were in very fine voice, with performances of Tallis and Quartel before coming together to give a powerful performance of Goodall’s Love Divine in a reprise of last month’s evensong anthem.

A number of smaller chamber groups followed, with Brass Ensemble (directed by Mr Lewington) playing Greenwood’s The Acrobat (featuring UVI pupil Xanthe Scott) with real jubilance and humour. Conducted by Ms Galer, the Flute Ensemble gave a really stylish & energised performance of Porter’s Let’s Do It, before Percussion Ensemble (directed by Mr Neville) performed the bombastic and wonderfully-named Broken Finger Cowbell Funk!. The Year 10 Quartet (Isabel Woolf, Paloma Wright, Kim-Loan Decot and Emily Jong) gave a beautifully poised and lyrical performance of Alla Spagnuola by Glazunov, before a beautifully moving and evocative performance of Pentatonix’s Somebody I Used To Know, performed by pupil-run Sixth Form a cappella group The Octaves.

The concert concluded with two more choirs: first, the Year 7 choir, who sang Matilda (Harry Styles) with wonderfully uplifting energy; and finally the Year 8 and 9 Choir who sang the traditional Down By The Salley Gardens with real feeling and lyricism before the ever-popular ‘Part of Your World’ from The Little Mermaid.

Many, many congratulations to all the performers on a really remarkable concert.