Music Scholars' Concert

Nine Music Scholars performed a range of superb solos at the recent Scholars' Concert. The standard was truly first-class, and the packed Theatre was treated to a most inspiring display of musicianship. The concert was opened by the Senior Orchestra with a rousing and topical Minuet from Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks, complete with accompanying firework film! Year 10 scholar Tamsin Ireland opened the solo items with an incredibly poised two Schumann piano miniatures. Katja Cross, National Schools Symphony Orchestra member and Kingswood's leading cellist then performed a movement from one of Brahms' incredibly challenging Cello Sonatas. Ben Richardson, a most talented Year 8 performer changed style with the Fats Waller Crocodile Crawl, followed by the technical wizardry of violinist Roy Chan in de Falla's Danse Espagnol. As Kingswood is celebrating the centenary of composer and former Director of Music John Sykes, our leading flautists and brass players performed two of his lesser known works. Charles Price continued the solo works with a wonderful Tango of his own composing, and Alfred Ireland more than proved his place in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain with the first movement of the Weber's Bassoon Concerto in F. After the string orchestra had flown through the first movement of Vivaldi's Concerto for 4 violins, Alex Bevan showed his immense vocal talent with three John Sykes songs – My Pretty Rose Tree, The Poison Tree and The Sick Rose. Leader of the Orchestra, Laura Cross, performed the beautiful first movement of Elgar's Violin Sonata in E minor. To round the concert off, Kingswood Jazz Orchestra joined keyboardist Sam Mumford in a very funky rendition of Herbie Hancock's Chameleon. All agreed, a wonderful evening of incredibly high standard music-making.