Music Showcase Delights Audiences
Our annual Sixth Form Showcase took place on Wednesday 9 October in Perrins Hall.
Lower Sixth Music Scholar Isabelle Jones shares the following report:
“24 Sixth Form students performed in a fantastic Concert enjoyed by performers and audience alike. Dr Ehlers, one of our Senior Teachers who has been heavily involved in Music during my entire time at RGS, said of the Concert, “There was a wide range and depth of the performances, from solos to duets and groups, from classical Italian to modern pop songs. It was extraordinary.”
The Concert opened with the wonderful AKT-II (comprising Kieran Lilley, Arun Mungur, Thomas Newman, Lucas Reid and Ivan Innocent) giving a lively performance of ‘Something’ by the Beatles. Kieran returned with Sofia Stolt later in the Concert to sing ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon, which was exciting as this was Sofia’s first performance.
I am also constantly astonished by our talented pianists – Sasha Penlington, Charlotte Abbotts, Millie Young, Elizabeth Crookall and Ben Brierley – as well as our instrumental soloists: Sophie Jackson on saxophone, Fynn Butler on flute and Lucas Reid on violin. There was a fantastic duet of ‘For Good’ from the musical ‘Wicked’ with beautiful harmonies by Bella Gray and Sophie Jackson, accompanied by Elizabeth Crookall, as well as a stunning Baritone solo by Daniel Foster, who embodied Figaro from Mozart’s opera so well. Our vocal soloists provided a full range of pieces from Edith Wise’s folk-inspired song to Keira Mountford’s indie-pop piece and Winnie Lock’s ‘Your Daddy’s Son’. The Concert also featured marvellous performances by Ben Fisher on the trombone and Toby Alexander on the cornet. I played a contemporary solo flute piece called ‘Bali Moods’, which I hope was a peaceful break in proceedings.
For me, the highlight of the night was Abbie Crabbe’s original song, ‘My Favourite Colour’, which was a spectacular demonstration of her musical ability to write an amazing backing track and thoughtful lyrics.
Kieran Lilley said: “It was a wonderful experience to perform alongside my peers, and everyone sounded fantastic. I am so looking forward to the next opportunity to perform like this again.”
The Concert was closed by the brilliant ‘Noodle Soup’ performing ‘Valerie’, which was the perfect end to a joyful evening. Ivan Innocent, Lucas Reid, Thomas Newman, Daniel Foster, Toby Alexander, Theo Mason, Ben Fisher and Bethany Atherton performed together and had us all out of our seats, dancing on the sidelines and clapping along. It was a great end to a high-quality evening!”
Isabelle Jones, Lower Sixth Music Scholar