We enjoyed the final of the Junior Music Festival in Chapel on Tuesday, with 33 exceptional items. These were selected from 96 performances heard before half term from our third and fourth form. The evening was expertly adjudicated by Hilary Suckling, soon to be the new 8-13 Assistant Head of Music, who selected the following winners from each category:
Piano – Henry. Henry performed Hensel's Melodie. Hilary particularly liked his sensitive use of rubato.
Woodwind – Fred. Fred performed Coquard's Scherzo. Hilary commented on Fred's ability to project the sound right to the back of Chapel, as well as his accurate dynamic contrast and articulation throughout.
Percussion – Tobias. Tobias performed Don't You Forget About Me by Simple Minds. Hilary appreciated Tobias' ability to unite sonority across the entire drum kit, as well as being able to lift the backing track.
Girls’ Singing – Sylvia. Sylvia performed Kern's Smoke gets in your eyes. Hilary commented on Sylvia's warm and inviting sound, as well as her use of gestures and facial expressions throughout the song.
Strings - Danny. Danny performed Gouffe's Allegro (from Concertino). Hilary described Danny's performance as impressive and exciting. She said his precision with dotted rhythms was particularly commendable.
Boys’ Singing – Oli. Oli performed Chopin's Moja Pieszczotka. Hilary said Oli was able to accurately capture the Polish Folk Song character that is in so much of Chopin's music, as well as his ability to communicate and create contrasts between the major and minor sections of the song.
Guitar – Chris. Chris performed Stachak's Country etude. Hilary was impressed by his poise and control in phrases.
Brass – William & Ethan. William performed Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice and Ethan performed Vizzuti's Funk. Hilary appreciated William's use of articulation and the humorous ending, and she said Ethan's performance had a great sense of rhythm and groove to it, describing the underlying pulse as palpable.
The winner of the Junior Music Festival Prize for 2023 was Fred for his performance of Coquard’s Scherzo on clarinet.
Congratulations and thank you to all performers; an exceptional standard on display and all extremely deserving finalists.
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