Musical Farewells and Celebrations

May has seen us say farewell to some fantastic PGS musicians, celebrate winning musicians and enjoy a variety of musical theatre performances from across the Senior School.

Leavers’ Recital - Thursday 9 May

The Music Department is privileged to have the support of so many fine young musicians, and it is always a bittersweet moment at the end of the year when we say farewell to those who are moving on. What better way to celebrate the talents of those musicians than in a final recital. It was a real pleasure to hear such accomplished performing from soloists, duos and small ensembles last Thursday evening in music performed on such diverse instruments as tuba to tabla and banjo to bassoon.  We would like to say thank you to all those leaving PGS who have contributed so much to the school and to the Music Department; you have given us so much of your time and talent and delighted audiences consistently. Our valedictory performers were:

Henry B, trombone
Sam B, voice
Samuel B, bassoon
Andrew D, double bass
Ella D, clarinet
Mackenzie G, voice
Elliot H, piano
Noah H, double bass
Olivia H, tuba
Sophie H, flute
Gabriel L, bass guitar
James M, recorder, viola and violin
Hannah N, clarinet
Oliver O, banjo and piano
Samuel P, clarinet
Ben R, tabla and drums
Alex S, guitar
Reuben T, drums
Hannah W, voice
Harvey X, saxophone

Mr Hemmings even put in an appearance on the piano!

The evening concluded with great food and great company at Florios!

Students’ Collective - Pro Corda Gala Concert - Friday 10 May

As U19 Chamber Champions, Students’ Collective were invited to perform at the prestigious Pro Corda Gala Concert on Friday 10 May in the glorious surroundings of Drapers’ Hall in the City of London. Featuring five of the winning ensembles from across the country, the concert was a chance to celebrate the amazing achievements of the young musicians and raise awareness of the work of Pro Corda in promoting and supporting high quality Chamber Music in all schools.  Featuring Chamber Ensembles from the Pro-Corda Chamber Course, Warwick School, Eltham College, Woldingham School and PGS in performances of music by Martinu, Ravel, Mendelssohn, Duke Ellington, Arturo Sandoval and Hank Levy, this was professional quality playing.  As the only jazz ensemble in this concert, Students’ Collective brought the house down!  Congratulations to:

Henry B, trombone
Sam B, piano
Andrew D, double bass
Will C, trumpet
Josh C, saxophone
Elliot H, saxophone
Ben R, drums
Harvey X, saxophone

Musical Theatre Evening - Tuesday 14 May

The Rotunda reverberated to the sounds of some of our talented Musical Theatre students on Tuesday evening. Featuring music from 12 different West End and Broadway shows and performances by pupils from year 8 to year 13, Captivating, powerful and hugely expressive, the audience were transported to a myriad of different worlds with conviction.  Thank you to Mrs Read, Mrs Musgrave and Ms Taylor for preparing the performances and to Miss Kingsley, our one-woman orchestra!

Congratulations to 

Sienna C, Year 13
Isabelle D, Year 12
Rosie E, Year 11
Mackenzie G, Year 13
Sasha H, Year 8
Chi-Yee L, Year 12
Natalie M, Year 12
Eleanor M, Year 11
Tabby R, Year 11
Buster R, Year 10
Avy S, Year 8
Dawn S, Year 12