Concordia 2025

Concordia Winter 2024

the Manor which was still — just — a boarding house. On the day of the concert a fleet of coaches arrived at school and ferried the musicians to the Merchant Taylors’ Livery Hall for an early lunch before a final rehearsal at the Barbican. All went well and the concert showed that such an event involving all the Merchant Taylors’ Schools could be a real success. Looking back at the programme recently, I spotted the following familiar names of participants that day: Eleanor Trafford (WGS), Cheryl Clarke (MTGSC) and OMT Andrew Bruce (1998–2003), who are current MTS staff, as well OMT Edward Walter (1997–2002) who is Deputy Head Co-Curricular, Operations and Partnerships at St Helen’s School, Northwood. The two other Company concerts, at the Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool, in 2016 and Symphony Hall, Birmingham, in 2018, followed a similar pattern, but on these occasions pupils from Merchant Taylors’ School Northwood travelled by coach to the venues, necessitating several nights’ stay in a hotel. Performing with musicians from other schools was an interesting experience; although everyone had learnt the same music, their interpretations differed, and it was vitally important for those leading the joint rehearsals to put everyone at ease before getting to work on the nitty gritty aspects of building a coherent and musically convincing performance. At all three concerts it was heartening to note how keen and committed the students were to create something really special. The concert in Birmingham in 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the World War I Armistice, with nine schools taking part. This

I have had the good fortune to be involved in three Merchant Taylors’ Company concerts, which bring their own specific requirements as they involve several schools. Preparations begin years in advance, and once the venue and date have been agreed the specific details can be worked out. The Millennium Concert took place in the Barbican Hall and celebrated six centuries of the Merchant Taylors’ Company’s involvement in education. Wolverhampton Grammar, MTS Northwood, Foyle and Londonderry College, MTS Boys Crosby and MTS Girls Crosby were represented. Their respective Directors of Music worked together to produce a programme of music that spanned the centuries since the foundation of the first school by a Merchant Taylor in 1512, and culminated in a world premiere of a fanfare composed by OMT Simon Lasky (1988–1993). The first half of the concert involved the different schools performing their bespoke repertoire, while involving instrumentalists from all of the schools to create a true sense of collegiality. The second half was a performance of Haydn’s Nelson Mass in which all pupils either sang in the choir or played in the orchestra. Once the musical details were finalised, working out the logistics (travel, accommodation, rehearsal venues, catering and dress code) was a task in itself. Merchant Taylors’ School Northwood was the obvious venue for rehearsals, and the day before the performance about 150 student musicians rehearsed intensively in the Great Hall, Exam Hall and Recital Hall. Most visiting pupils were accommodated by MTS parents as ‘home stays’ and their teachers stayed in

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Above: Programme cover for the Merchant Taylors’ Company concert of Remembrance Left: Merchant Taylors’ School Choir at St Paul’s Cathedral