Live music lives again! Many of you have rocked with The Stones or braved the North Circular to enjoy Ed at Wembley this summer. We all know that the hottest venue in town is right on our doorstep, be it The Recital Hall, the Farleigh sports pitches, The Theatre or The Headmaster’s Lawn. Who needs a Pyramid when you have a Pringle? Or supporting bands before a main event, when every performance is a headliner? FarleighFest is back at last!

The Summer Soirée 2022 saw Junior Choir’s comeback, opening the show with a crowd-pleasing Muppet Show Medley. From the smallest recorder ensemble, The Three Amigos, playing the Neighbours theme, to the massed String Sensation taking This Is Me from The Greatest Showman in their stride, there was something for everyone in Farleigh’s summer festival of musical talent.

Each of the 23 music ensembles was showcased, new to the line-up for 2022 was Funky Fingers, the fabulous keyboard group, making a debut with Lay All Your Love On Me, in all its synthesised glory. Over 300 singers, string players, woodwind players, pianists, guitarists of all varieties, brass players, and percussionists took to the stage over the course of the evening, every single one raising their game yet again!

As the sun set on the large crowd dancing to Abba’s Waterloo, sung by Senior Choir with expert band backing, I had a vision of a row of tents, a bank of Portaloos, and a few extra segments on the speakers, perhaps Farleighbury is just around the corner…..

Huge thanks go to all teaching staff who helped ensure the musicians made it to their rehearsals, to the catering staff for the marvellous picnics, and to the grounds staff for the immaculate gardens. Special thanks go to the exceptional music staff, and especial thanks to all the children who are an inspiration to us all. An extra token of gratitude goes to Ethan Owusu and Edward Harvey, who gave up their time to help set up.

 Teresa Henderson