Feast of Music

The End of Year Concert at the University of Cambridge’s West Road Concert Hall got off to a rousing start with The Leys Jazz Band’s stylish renditions of Mercy, Mercy, Mercy and Stomping at the Savoy.

From there, over 90 of the School’s musicians and singers – drawn from pupils and staff – showed their talents and versatility as they performed a wide range of pieces, from the Wallace and Gromit Theme to Bizet’s Habanera via Amazing Grace and The Sound of Music.

The groups participating included the Flute Choir, Junior and Senior String Quartets, Chamber Choir, Brass Group, Wind Band and String Orchestra. Two ensembles made their West Road debuts, with the Clarinet Group and the recently-formed Funk Band both receiving terrific applause from the appreciative audience.

The School Orchestra brought the concert to a grand climax with their renditions of March to the Scaffold from Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, Nessun Dorma from Turandot by Puccini, with James White playing the solo melody on the trombone, and Coates’s stirring Dambusters’ March. The Orchestra were then joined on stage by the Chapel Choir for the finale, the grand Coronation Anthem which recently accompanied Catherine Middleton’s procession down the Westminster Abbey aisle, I Was Glad by Parry.

Director of Music, Rob Hall said that he was extremely proud of all the musicians who took to the stage: “I thought the overall standard of performance was fantastic. The Concert reflected the enthusiasm and commitment which the pupils continually show towards music-making. It was particularly pleasing to see so many pupils actually enjoying performing on stage at such a wonderful venue.”