Ensembles Concert Showcases Musical Talent

On Tuesday, The Barn played host to a most enjoyable and impressive Ensembles Concert. This brilliant event brought together the School Orchestra, Brass Group, Woodwind Group, String Group, Harp Group, Year Three and Four Sing and Sign Club, Junior Choir and Senior Choir. In total 90 children from Years Three to Six were involved.

Everyone performed to an incredibly high standard, with several pupils performing in more than one ensemble. The concert showcased wonderfully the breadth of musical talent at King’s Hawford, and the line-up delivered an incredibly varied programme, highlighting each family of the orchestra.

On the evening we were joined by four of our peripatetic teachers, Mrs Jane Allen-Griffiths, Mrs Amanda Allsop, Mr David Bates and Mrs Erica Sinclair-Wilding. Our passionate peripatetic teachers regularly go above and beyond, and we are incredibly grateful for their support in preparing pupils for this concert.

The Orchestra played two pieces, Drunken Sailor and Star Wars by John Williams, under the baton of Mrs Sophie Hughes. Both performances were popular with the audience, and the children all did a fantastic job.

Members of Brass Group, lead by Mr Bates, were fresh from their Worcester Competitive Arts Festival success. The Group played Fanfare Open-Up by Ian McKenzie and, with a contrasting driving beat, Smoke on the Water by Deep Purple.

The Disney classic Under the Sea was performed by Woodwind Group, who were expertly conducted by Mrs Allsop. The children in String Group played Action Movie and the contrasting Sad Movie with great expression, both pieces composed by Kathy and David Blackwell. The pupils gave a flawless performance.

Tuesday’s concert was Harp Group’s first performance since their Poppy Harp Festival entry. All of the children performed beautifully, and were ably assisted by Mrs Sinclair-Wilding, performing Brian Boru’s March and a traditional Welsh melody, Basket of Eggs.

It was wonderful to welcome Year Three and Four Sing and Sign Club to the Concert, as their skill and talent added a whole other dimension to the performances. The children performed Seeds of Friendship by Mary Green and Julie Stanley, beginning with a solo and gradually building in more singers as the song itself grew. 

Performances from both Junior and Senior Choir completed the packed bill. Junior Choir sang the exciting Firefly by Andy Beck and Tomorrow from Annie, by Charles Strouse. Senior Choir have been busy preparing for their performance at the St Richard’s Hospice Lights of Love service next term and sang Roger Emerson’s arrangement of the classic Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton and a lively Spanish song, Cantar! by Jay Althouse.

The concert was jam-packed with musical talent; thank you to Mrs Hughes for pulling together such a large scale Informal Concert.