The crème de la crème of Shiplake’s musicians gathered in the Great Hall last Friday evening for the 2014 Music Scholars’ Recital. The sun was shining and the large audience was treated to glorious views from the terrace before an evening of high-quality music making. Exceptional solo performances were delivered by some of the most talented pupils across all year groups at the College.
The evening showcased talent in a range of musical disciplines, including strings, brass, woodwind and percussion. The variety did not end there as many pupils produced fantastic vocal performances across numerous different genres.
Year 11 violinist Joe Wu opened the show in style, followed by Tom McCooke on the clarinet. Singer Cameron Bell was the first vocalist on stage as he took on Shakespearean classic An Sylvia by Austrian composer Franz Schubert.
A grand mixture of musical styles continued to feature, including a number of popular melodies. Greg Holt’s Latin-inspired version of The Peanut Vendor (Trumpet), Reiss Simpson’s cover of Coldplay’s Magic (Voice) and Yeem Chanthanwan’s laid-back interpretation of Baker Street (Alto-Sax) were particular highlights.
More classical renditions came from Matthew Aldridges’s lyrical performance of Romance by Saint-Saens (French Horn), Josh Hirst’s interpretation of Menuetto Capriccio & Trio (Clarinet) and Einaudi’s famous I Giorni played superbly by Alex Williams (Piano).
Other performers were Jason Chan (Piano), George Graham (Trombone), Charles Marsden (Clarinet), Henry Blois-Brooke (Violin), Sam Ryder-Smith (Guitar), and Eleanor Waite (Piano).
The Headmaster spoke during the interval and at the finale of the concert, commenting upon each performance individually. Mr Davies was hugely impressed by the standard of each and every musician, and left wondering how the pupils fit all the practice in amongst all the other activities they are involved in!
In addition to the success of this evening, the Music Department have produced some brilliant recordings of BTEC Music pupils’ performances. Several Music Scholars feature in the tracks, which can be listened to and downloaded on Sound Cloud. Director of Music Mr Paul Jones commented: ‘We are delighted with the quality of these performances and feel they deserve a wider audience. The recordings are extremely high quality and we cannot wait to produce more of the same in our very own recording studio next year. Special credit should go to guitar teacher Mr Graham Sims for his expertise in producing the recordings.’
