Taylorian

Music and Concerts

Intermediate Music Competition 30th June 2022 The Finalists’ Concert, expertly adjudicated by Anna Stevens (Head of Faculty at St Clement Danes), began with Ben Keyte’s fiery trumpet performance of the fiendishly difficult ‘Concert Etude’, for which he won the Brass category. Ayoush Seneviratne won in the Strings class after a graceful rendition of Rachmaninoff’s ‘Vocalise’ on the violin, while Thomas Easterbrook’s characterful version of ‘The Policeman’s Song’ was enough for him to win the Voice award. In the Percussion round, Zak Rosenbaum and Aryan Daryanani gave masterful performances of Billy Cobham’s ‘Red Baron’ and Guns ‘n’ Roses’ ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’. Zak won the Percussion prize and Aryan was Highly Commended. Matthew Schiff won in Woodwind, displaying a sophisticated tone and technique in the second movement of Poulenc’s Clarinet Sonata. Dominic Detre, who was the Piano and Overall winner, gave two performances on the night: ‘Elegia’ by Nino Rota on the oboe (of The Godfather fame), and the Vivace from Telemann’s stunning Fantasia in G minor on the piano. Jazz Evening 1st July 2022 The Serenaders’ Jazz Evening was a huge success. The Dining Hall was transformed into a jazz club for the evening; the St Helen’s Jazz Band joined with the MTS Big Band to form a Very Big Band, and played two sets under the expert direction of Mr Gathercole. Between these performances, we were entertained by two MTS Dixieland bands, plus Ivan Nabarro’s solo piano performance of his own arrangement of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’. The Music Department joined in the fun: several piano numbers were performed by five players, each with one hand only,

and Aryan Daryanani brilliantly jammed with staff in a 12-bar Blues. The musical line-up was completed by the Staff Band, featuring the vocal talents of Mr McCann and Ms Haye.

with Hubert Parry’s ‘I Was Glad’, featuring some hearty singing from the tenors and basses, and some impressive high notes from the trebles! The glorious weather allowed for refreshments and entertainment from the CCF Band in the Inner Quad during the interval, before Taylors’ Brass resumed the concert with a bright and joyful rendition of Jeremiah Clarke’s ‘Prince of Denmark March’. The Chamber Orchestra followed this with two pieces from Walton’s Henry V . It was a delight to hear the premiere of Jacob Collins’ setting of Psalm 100 for choir and orchestra, which he had written for the occasion, followed by Holst’s ‘Jupiter’ from The Planets . The concert concluded with a rousing rendition of Parry’s ‘Jerusalem’ and the National Anthem, and as the sun set, the performers and audience headed out into the Inner Quad for the evening’s finale – a wonderful firework display.

Platinum Jubilee Concert 5th July 2022 The Choir and Orchestra provided a suitably regal opening to this special concert, performing Handel’s ‘Zadok the Priest’ and William Walton’s brilliant 1953 Coronation piece, ‘Orb and Sceptre’. A rousing arrangement of marches from Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance was played by Winfonia, and the Thomas White Singers sang Neil Diamond’s classic ‘Sweet Caroline’. The first half concluded

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Taylorian 2023