The Lent term allows the music department a small opportunity to go off-piste in its programme of events, and last Thursday saw an idea born of some idle staffroom chat a few months earlier, spring into life!

The idea behind the Chamber Music Concert was to feature some of the smaller ensembles and soloists, playing a selection of more classical music, that had mostly been written for the instruments playing it.

The children and their teachers rose to the occasion, as ever, to bring a fabulously varied and entertaining programme to their audience. The running order was expertly set up by Mr Reeves, so that after each ensemble piece, the audience had the pleasure of enjoying a solo performance by one of its members.

Many orchestral instruments were represented, from the two string groups; String Sensation (playing the classic for strings, ‘Pachelbel’s Canon,’ as well as an energetic Bulgarian Folk Dance), and Highly Strung (with a rendition of the canticle ‘Scarborough Fair’), to Sax Pack (performing a rousing ‘Jupiter’ with sung introduction), Toot Sweet (playing a gentle ‘Swan Lake Theme’), the Guitar Ensemble (delivering a wonderful composition of Mr Lindsey-Clark’s, ‘Something Spooky Going On’), and vocalists in the Close Harmony Group (singing ‘In the Same Boat’, complete with actions), as well as senior girls from the Chapel Choir (led by Emily H, singing a stunning ‘Drop, Drop, Slow Tears’), not to mention a motley collection of brass players, who performed Dibdin’s ‘Tom Bowling’ with great flair!

The grand finale was a project that had started life as a simple arrangement of Dvořák’s ‘Largo’ from the New World Symphony, for strings, but got a little out of control, and ended up as a bespoke arrangement for a mini pop-up orchestra. The children in The Largo Project came together for just a handful of ad hoc rehearsals and were facing a steep drop-in! The Largo Project was ambitious, but with the help of the kind, patient and brilliant teaching staff who roped up for the occasion, and some dusting off of the school timpani, they did it, and fresh tracks were made!

Thank you so much to Mr Reeves, who always says yes to ideas, delivers such an informative introduction to the items in the programme, and was inveigled to direct and conduct The Largo Project; thank you to Mrs Rockhill who underpins so many performances so effortlessly; thank you to the fantastic peri staff who prepared and played in their own ensembles and many others; thank you to the soloists: Henry B, Felix C, Bea L, Mellie G, Letty I and Athina R; and a HUGE thank you to every one of the children who worked so hard in their rehearsals and took part in the evening of Chamber Music, it could not have happened without you!

Teresa Henderson