Not to be confused with this year’s Farleigh Live!, and hot on the heels of it, FarleighFest (aka the Summer Soirée) was another welcome excuse to scatter the hay bales, open the bar, and enjoy a fantastic evening of music in Farleigh’s sun-soaked glorious grounds.

The Summer Soirée is the musical calendar’s grand finale, celebrating a year of ensembles, a Farleigh speciality, with 21 music ensembles rehearsing weekly in the Music School and performing regularly throughout the year. Instrumental ensemble playing in particular provides a wealth of learning opportunities, developing reading, mathematical (counting bars of rests is a genuine skill!), aural, social and communication skills in an environment of enjoyment, forging a multitude of new neural pathways in every session. Real music making in real life. A successful ensemble rehearsal or performance is the embodiment of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts - teamwork at its most inclusive. 

So, in a change to traditional format, Farleigh’s largest instrumental ensemble, The Concert Band, opened this year’s spectacular show, their punchy and tight performance of Uptown Funk reminding the ever-sociable audience that the evening was under way!

String Sensation kept the momentum going, as well as the audience's attention, playing together expertly in an energising performance of The Wellerman, followed by SaxPack evoking this year’s sporting season with their rhythmic rendition of Sweet Caroline. 

The evening followed in a more customary fashion, Junior Choir lifting our hearts, as ever, singing their own Better Together Medley, voicing the sentiment of togetherness with such charm!

The ensuing instrumental ensemble performances did not fail to delight, from performances of familiar movie themes by BrassWorks (Rocky and James Bond) and Funky Fingers (Interstellar), to instrumental versions of popular songs played by Toot Sweet (Amarillo), Rhythm Rascals (Best Day of My Life), Funky Fingers (Fate of Ophelia), and Pick Perfect (Walking on The Moon). The Guitar Ensemble demonstrated their enviable ensemble playing skills whilst performing their teacher’s original composition, China Town.

An evening would not be complete without some hilarity from the legendary school jazz bands, Green Shoots (Trouble in Mind), Five Foot Six (Sweet Home Chicago), and Sub Zero (Dr Jazz), with the inimitable Chuff at the helm, and not to be outdone, the school rock bands did not miss a beat in The Shoop Shoop Song (Vinyl Tap! with multiple backing singers), I Only Want to Be with You (Mix’Tape) and That Don’t Impress Me Much (Dynamix).

And who can resist a group sing? Proven scientifically to have significant health benefits, the sheer love of ensemble singing was evident on every face in every one of the four choirs performing: Girls’ Close Harmony Group (Stop), Boys’ Noise (I Want it That Way), Chapel Choir (Shut Up and Dance) and both halves of Senior Choir (Old Church Choir and the closing number, Put A Little Love into Your Heart).

The Summer Soirée is a highlight of the musical calendar, a musical inspiration to all, and every year, someone suggests that this one may have been the best ever. The bar is set very high, but teachers and children delivered yet again - could FarleighFest 2026 have actually been the best one ever…?

Teresa Henderson