A Rousing Easter Concert Marks The End Of A Busy Bablake Term

A splendid Easter concert rounded off a very busy term of concerts for the Music Department. All our senior ensembles performed, with fantastic performances from many pupils and our leavers.

The orchestra got the concert off to a fine start with a rendition of ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, and our cello ensemble played a beautiful version of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances, with lovely high melodic work from scholars Harry Scott-Burt and Anna White. The brass ensemble gave the Headmaster his annual chance to play percussion in public, then the senior strings rounded off the first half with a finely controlled performance of Ravel’s Pavane, and the concerto for 4 violins by Vivaldi, featuring soloists Dasha Sutton, Ellie Aitchison, Avni Kant, Rachel Worthington and Harry Scott-Burt.

The second half brought more film music, ‘Fantastic Beasts’ performed by the wind band, and the Chamber Choir sang the Easter anthem, Bach’s ‘Christians Shout for Joy and Gladness’, as well as Bernstein’s wonderful ‘Something’s Coming’ from West Side Story. Some smaller ensembles followed, the percussion ensemble, including 5th Year pupils Jasmine, Dhru and Miles, played an excellent version of ‘Wipeout’ on tuned and untuned percussion, and the string quartet gave a thoroughly professional performance of Grainger’s ‘Molly on the Shore’, having first performed three miniatures composed by Sixth Form scholar Anna White. The Swing Band, led with great aplomb from the piano by Mr Cooper, finished the show with a rousing account of ‘All of Me’, featuring solos by Emma Blackett, Alex Hyde and Enya Bowe.

Our wonderful Upper Sixth leavers were presented with Easter eggs as a token thank-you for all their contributions over the past years, and they also thanked the staff with a beautiful card and chocolates for all their hard work. Mr T Crompton (Director of Music) said, “This was a splendid evening of music, which was a great reflection of the hard work staff and pupils have put in during a very busy term. We said a fond farewell to our leavers, but hope to see them again in the audience of future concerts!”

Thank you and well done to all staff and pupils involved in the production of such an excellent Easter concert.

Photos from the Easter Concert 2018 - photo credit to Mr M Woodward