Monday, January 7, 2013

Events in Lent Term

There are a number of very exciting events this term.


Throughout the whole term we will be holding our Annual Music Competition for which we are very pleased to have been able to obtain a set of outstanding musicians as adjudicators. 

The Schola Cantorum are to sing for the Vigil Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Saturdays 26 January and 2 March.

The annual Big Band Evening will be held on Friday 1 February when Addison Hall will be transformed into a ballroom for an evening of music and dancing.



On Tuesday 12 February the Vaughan's Chamber Orchestra and Schola Cantorum will join forces with Southbank Sinfonia for our annual concert together. 

This year the programme is Mendelssohn's Overture to Midsummer Night's Dream, Handel's' Coronation Anthems and Schumann' Symphony No 1 ('Spring'). 

Further details will follow very shortly. 









The Spring Instrumental Concert, involving the both First Orchestra, Senior Strings, Concert Band, Big Band and Junior Ensembles is on Thursday 14 March at St Paul’s Church, Hammersmith. 

The programme will include Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. 

 





The end of term will see the School Choir tackle one of the great monuments of music when it performs JS Bach's St Matthew Passion, on Tuesday 26 March 2013 at St James's, Spanish Place. 

Further details will be available shortly but this promises to be a landmark in the history of music-making at the Vaughan.  




Sunday, January 6, 2013

The Schola Cantorum last term

The Schola Cantorum

This has been a very busy term for the Schola Cantorum.There are further details of all the Schola's activities on its website, www.scholacantorum.co.uk

Work began immediately at the start of term, with the Schola trebles recording two film soundtracks in the first week of September, Life of Pi which has just been released (the score has been nominated for a Grammy) and a film to be released in 2013 called Promised Land.

This was quickly followed by Foundation Day at Westminster Cathedral where the Schola sang music by Schubert, Parry and Guerrero at the Mass celebrated by his Grace the Archbishop of Westminster.
In October the sang a very beautiful concert of Marian music at the Carmelite Priory, Kensington, raising in the process £2000 for Aid to the Church in Need. This concert also saw the Schola wear their new cassocks for the first time!


In the St Cecilia Concert the Schola sang the Fauré Requiem, accompanied by the Belgravia Chamber Orchestra. The choir returned to Westminster Cathedral at the start of Advent to sing for the Vigil Mass, the first of a number of such appearances this year, singing music by Byrd, Palestrina and Tallis.

December was very busy as always for the boys. As well as the usual Dorchester Carols commitments the Schola sang at a Carol Service to raise funds for Latin American children as well as making its annual appearance at Nazareth House, singing Mass for the elderly people who live in that wonderful place. 

Term ended with the Carol Service, always the highlight of the Schola’s year, this year held in the beautiful surroundings of St James’s, Spanish Place. More than 800 people were in attendance for the service of lessons and carols.


Most importantly of all, however, the Schola has sung each and every week at the Wednesday morning Mass, expanding its repertoire with a number of new Mass settings and a wide variety of motets.

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Some Highlights from Last Term

Early Evening Recitals
We took a different approach to the Early Evening Recitals last term, arranging them by Year groups rather than by instrumental sections as has often been the case in the past. The first recital on October 10 was given by the Sixth Form, with some lovely performances from the more advanced students; the second recital, on October 17 was given by some of the GCSE students in the Fourth and Fifth Form; the final recital of the term, held on 14 November, featured boys in Forms 1-3. With so many pupils learning instruments it is impossible to give them all chance to play - if your son/daughter has not taken part and you would like them to, then let us know so that we can make sure they perform next time.

St Cecilia Concert
The School’s annual celebration of St Cecilia was as big an event as ever with one of the largest audiences of the year gathering in St Paul’s, Hammersmith on Tuesday 20 November. This year’s programme included music from the Sixth Form Choir, Second Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Concert Band, and School Choir. The First Orchestra closed the first half with a stirring rendition of Coates’ London Suite. The second half saw a fine performance of the Fauré Requiem by the Schola, accompanied in the original orchestration by the Belgravia Chamber Orchestra. Special mention must be made of the two soloists in the Fauré, Joseph Outtrim and Jack Comerford.

Verdi Requiem
11 December saw the School Choir return to St James’s, Spanish Place, surely one of the most beautiful churches in London, to perform one of the greatest of all choral works, Verdi’s monumental setting of the Requiem Mass. Joined by four wonderful soloists - including Old Vaughanian Peter Davoren and singing teacher Alex Ashworth - and with accompaniment from the superb Belgravia Chamber Orchestra, ably assisted by a number of the pupils, the choir gave a stirring performance of this wonderful work. It was particularly pleasing that so many Old Vaughanians returned to help, adding welcome strength to the chorus.

The Carol Service
We returned to St James’s Spanish Place once again in December for the Carol Service, having moved from Our Lady of Victories because of on-going building work there. Any concern we might have had that people would not attend  in the same numbers as usual were unfounded as Spanish Place was completely full with around 800 people in attendance. The Schola sang carols by Pearsall, Britten, Rutter, Darke, Edwards and Cornelius. Perhaps the most striking moment came during Benediction when the Schola sang Tavener’s extraordinary God is With Us, complete with sudden, very loud organ entry just before the end! Thank you if you attended this service, always a highlight of the School year.

Other performances
There has been no shortage of other performance opportunities this term with weekly Friday lunchtime recitals offering chances to many pupils to perform. The Big Band has been busy as always, performing at the Vaughan Foundation Ball in November - joined by two some very exciting new singers - as well as at the Senior Citizens Party in December. Thomas Fetherstonhaugh sang a major solo role in English National Opera’s Magic Flute and three boys sang in the chorus for ENO’s production of Carmen during November and December. Fifteen of our saxophonists attended a workshop at the Royal Albert Hall in October with jazz musician Yolande Brown. I could go on.......