Oh Sweet, Sweet Music

The annual Senior Chamber Concert was held on Wednesday 5 November in the Drama Hall. Most of the smaller musical groups performed repertoire that had been learnt in the short time since the beginning of term. The newest and youngest group, ‘Stringendo’, opened the concert with Miss Kelly’s arrangement of ‘Firework’ by Katy Perry. String players were also represented in duos and trios, as well as Mrs Holman’s Cello Ensemble. The string highlight had to be ‘Winter’ from the Four Seasons by Vivaldi, conducted by Mr Kremlicka, with the Violin solo played beautifully by Michel Toutoungy. Woodwind and Brass groups also featured prominently in the concert. Mr Bagshaw’s ever growing Woodwind Group performed his arrangement of ‘Eleanor Rigby’ by the Beatles and two other delightful numbers by Colin Evans that showed off the timbre of the instruments superbly.

Arnold Brass played an advanced and exhilarating version of ‘Frere Jacques’, originally arranged for the famous Phillip Jones Brass Ensemble. The Saxophone Ensemble excited the audience with the popular tune from ‘Frozen’, ‘Let It Go’, and finished with the Jazz standard ‘Cantaloupe Island’.

Big Band made their presence known with a rhythmic rendition of ‘Aint No Mountain High Enough’, before Rayan Bannaei took the stage and piano to sing, ‘It’s a Beautiful day’. As a Grand Finale, all the performers came together and played movements from Handel’s Fireworks Music. In true St Chris fashion, the young instrumentalists used their skills and musicianship, under the guidance of Mr Holman, to celebrate Fireworks Night and finish the concert with a bang.