Thursday 11 February 2010
Piano Festival
One of the treats of working in a school is turning corners to discover pupils absorbed in rehearsing music together. Walking near the Holst Hall at lunchtimes or before and after school, it’s a joy to hear the beautiful sound of the grand piano, and especially in the lead up to the Piano Festival in mid-February.
The experience of the Festival gives pupils the chance to hear different repertoire and approaches to playing by their peers. Somehow the Music department achieves the perfect balance: it’s not a competition between the musicians, but there’s enough adrenalin surge for a real sense of performance in a supportive, friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
Timothy Barratt, Professor at the Royal Academy of Music and Head of Keyboard at Dulwich College, was delighted with the 80 performances and spoke very personally to individual players after each group, offering practical advice and encouragement as well as recognition of the skills displayed. He appreciated the interpretations and the expressive responses to the music, and frequently played parts of the wide-ranging repertoire himself to demonstrate his points about left and right hand balance, and pedalling ‘with your ears’; no small feat!
What a repertoire! We listened to marches, waltzes, nocturnes, toccatas, sonatas, allegros and honey-toned jazz – and more. They were all good performances, but my personal favourites included Laura Akehurst’s confident Oscar Peterson, Jessie Kolvin’s sensitive Chopin, Dorothy Tang’s exuberant Gershwin and the duet Rose Gleadell and Eve Marlow, who played Schumann’s ‘Impromptu’ with a strong sense of passion and changing mood and rhythm. The Festival ended with a delightfully fresh interpretation of ‘Tea For Two’, delivered with great panache by Eleanor Makower and Frederica Onslow. Congratulations to all the performers. The audience of parents, pupils and teachers loved it.
Tuesday 15 December 2009
Choral Concert
On December 15th 2009 the Holst Chamber Choir and Madrigals took part in the Choral Concert and sang beautifully. It was very exciting for me as a former member of both choirs - my first time watching a JAGS concert instead of participating in it. Coming back to see everyone still in the choir, as well as some new faces was lovely, and after a quick hello to everyone and a swift wish of good luck, I found a seat in a very unusual place for me, the audience. After hearing Camarata sing “Cabaret” and a “Lion King Medley”, which were done very well, definitely some promising singers who would suit the older choirs well as they move up though the school, the Madrigals came on. They sang “Quem Pastores Laudavere” with a stunning solo from Beatrice Graham in year 13 and finished with “All Creatures Now Are Merry Minded”. The quality of the singing was astounding and I felt very sad to not be joining them!
Next on was the Holst Chamber Choir, who did not fail to impress, with a stunning finish with of “Il est né” in which there were two flutes and two trombones, courtesy of the Chamber Orchestra, filling the audience with Christmas spirit.
Finally the choirs joined the JAGS Choral Society and the Chamber Orchestra with members of JACO (James Allen’s Community Orchestra) in a spectacular performance of Brahms’ “Ein Deutches Requiem” (“A German Requiem”). Having been a member of the choir I am very aware of the stresses caused during the lead up to the Christmas concert. However, being able to watch the finished product this year it made me realise just how worth it all the stress was. The choirs sang the requiem beautifully, accompanying the superb music produced by the orchestra.
I think it is fair to say that the rest of the audience was as stunned as I was as the last note resonated through the church. The only thing I wanted to do more than watch was run up on stage and join in. Everyone who participated in the concert did a fantastic job. I only hope I can come back to watch again.
Written by Ellie Camm, alumna and former Madrigalist & member of the Chamber Choir.
Wednesday 11 November 2009
JAGS Autumn Concert
What a wide-ranging mix of moods and styles, entirely fitting to the season, Autumn being what it has been this year
– a breath-taking mix of warm sunshine, frost, gusting wind and driving rain! With a hint of things to come, the programme began with ‘Showstopper’ by Kimber, a powerful and dynamic percussion piece, and continued with an item from Wonderbrass. It was good to hear them playing a classical Renaissance Sonata; what a contrast from their last performance on Jazz Night! Bel Canto, a Year 7 choir, was delightfully fresh and confident singing two contemporary pieces, as was the Concert Orchestra. ‘Harvest Home’ from the Four Seasons and ‘The Dambusters March ’ stirred our English pastoral sense and patriotic fervour, and then the Chamber Orchestra played Stravinsky’s ‘Pulcinella Suite’, based on the Commedia dell’Arte tradition; a lovely juxtaposition of sounds.
More to come! In the second half, the Symphony Orchestra whirled us through Sullivan’s ‘Iolanthe’, Sibelius’ ‘Finlandia’, and finished with music from ‘The Gadfly’ by Shostakovitch at a cracking pace. It was hard to believe the pupils had only been rehearsing with their teachers over a period of 7 weeks. What ambition! What skills!
Rochana sings for London
PopFest Autumn 2009
Learning From a Master
BRAHMS - An Evening of Chamber Music - Monday 11 May, Holst Hall
An evening of stunning performances by Jennifer McLaren (clarinet), Paul Brunner (cello), and Nadia Lasserson (piano).
Sonata op 120/2 in Eb major for Clarinet and Piano
Sonata op 99 in F major for Cello and Piano
Trio op 114 in A minor for Clarinet, Cello and Piano
There was also the opportunity to come and sing Orff's Carmina Burana as part of the Dulwich Festival on Sunday 10 May 2009 in the Holst Hall.
Community Music - Singing our Hearts Out
JACO Concert: Community Music at JAGS
Saturday 4 April
Dorothy Tang played the organ in Southwark Cathedral. This was pre service music for Choral Evensong. She played 'O Gott du frommer Gott', a chorale prelude by Brahms.
PopFest Spring 2009
Music for the Young at Heart
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