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Musicians throughout the School celebrated the contributions of this year’s leavers at a special concert, with the Year 13s themselves enjoying one last chance to show what they can do.

The Leavers’ Concert paid full tribute to the final-year students, several of whom play in as many as seven ensembles.

The programme for the event in the Shearly Hall spanned many centuries and many musical genres, taking the audience from Mozart to Britney Spears.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a musically spectacular evening, and it was heart-warming to hear not only the quality of musicianship, but also to see the gratitude the younger boys have towards the senior students who help direct, conduct and rehearse ensembles.

“The leavers themselves have made an immense contribution to music at the School, both through playing and through making time to conduct and direct other musicians. It should be remembered that they have done so while also participating in other aspects of School life: those performing at the concert included pupils holding offers from Oxbridge or to study medicine next year, demonstrating that high academic achievement and full extra-curricular involvement really can go hand in hand.”

Paying her own tribute, Director of Music Ruth Partington told the audience she and her colleagues were left wondering how they will manage without the Year 13 musicians next year!

The Jazz Bands and Senior Winds got everyone in the groove with pieces such as I Got Rhythm, Superstition and Sing, Sing, Sing, while the School Choir, supported by a pupil backing band, gave a foot-tapping performance of Elton John’s I’m Still Standing.

Highlights of the concert included performances by the Indian Ensemble. Year 13’s Isher Jagdev explained that the final piece, Tarana – Raag Basant, was a conversation and, with the help of Year 11’s Vase Pardeepan, went on to demonstrate that everything you can say can be played on tabla!

Miss Partington said: “It is great to see this ensemble growing in numbers, with new recruit Param Jani, of Year 7, showing wonderful vocal ability. Isher leaves it in great shape.”

The Electric Guitar Ensemble’s aptly chosen piece, Europe’s The Final Countdown, directed by leaver Shubh Rathod, opened the second half of  the concert.

Performed 40 years after it famously served as the accompaniment to Torvill and Dean’s figure-skating gold medal at the Sarajevo Winter Olympics, Ravel’s Boléro showcased many soloists and sections as it built towards its conclusion, even featuring the three Assistant Heads (Crispin Bonham-Carter, James Kane and Sarah Westcott) on percussion.

There was then a pause in proceedings for the Headmaster’s presentation of Music Colours and Bars. Among the nine boys awarded Colours, Noah Morley, of Year 10, received Senior Colours a year early, recognising his exceptional contribution to music at QE. Bars went to Harrison Lee and Nikhil Mark, both of Year 12.

Year 13 leavers then made their own presentation to the three music teachers – Director Miss Partington and Music teachers Rebecca German and Jas Hutchinson-Bazely – praising their guidance and support.

The Orchestra’s performance of Britney Spears’ hit, Toxic, delivered fun aplenty. Not only did this feature both tabla and an electronic remix by Year 13’s Indrajit Datta, but the appearance of glow sticks brought some rave vibes to the Shearly Hall – a QE first.

After wearing a white shirt and School tie along with his peers as he performed in multiple ensembles during the concert, Year 13’s Arjun Patel deftly made the change into black tie to conduct the Orchestra in Leavers’ Waltz, the final piece of the evening, which he had composed himself.

• Click on the thumbnails below to view photos from the concert.

QE boys are now counting down to the VEX Robotics World Championships after three of the School’s teams qualified for the trip to Texas.

Teams Gearsquad, Constellation and CircuitBreakers will be heading for the States at the end of this month, having maintained strong performances at the national championships in Telford.

Head of Technology Michael Noonan lauded their achievement, pointing out that the three teams had qualified even though the number of places on offer to UK teams has been halved this year. And he singled out the Year 8 CircuitBreakers team (pictured top) for a special mention: “Their success is all the more remarkable, given they are in their first season.”

The teams, all from the IQ age category (Years 8–9), will travel to the VIQRC world championships, which run from 1st–3rd May in The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Dallas. They will be hoping to follow in the footsteps of previous QE boys who have achieved success on this international stage, including the 2018 team named VEX IQ World Champions after winning the overall Excellence Award.

The three 2024 qualifiers sealed their qualification at the recent UK national championships, in which all 11 QE robotics teams took part.

In the VRC (Years 10 & 12) age group, Override was a divisional top-ranked team, while fellow Year 12 team Hybrid was a divisional finalist.

Among the younger boys, Gearsquad and CircuitBreakers returned from Telford with a trio of awards apiece, while there were single awards for Hybrix and Constellation. The accolades included: Teamwork Champion and Innovate awards for Gearsquad; Robot Skills Champion and Amaze awards for CircuitBreakers; a Think Award for Hybrix; and a Build Award for Constellation.

Earlier in the Spring Term, both Year 12 teams travelled to Calgary, Canada, for a competition involving 132 teams. (This was arranged because QE sixth-formers cannot be considered for the world championships owing to their Summer Term public examination commitments). Their fellow competitors came mostly from across North America and included former world and national champions.

“QE performed well, ranking 25th and 26th in their divisions of 60-plus teams and both successfully being selected at Alliance Selection, being unfortunate to be knocked out at the round of 16, “said Mr Noonan. “Students loved the experience, despite the cold temperatures, particularly commenting on the beauty of Calgary.”

Last term, QE was also the host for a regional robotics challenge – the VIQRC Full Volume QE Battle for Barnet – where Gearsquad were among the winners.

A team of Sixth Form leaders made the short journey to help out at a family charity’s new base just yards from the School.

The Year 12 House Captains and Deputy House Captains got to work on a ‘packathon’ organised by Sebby’s Corner, which offers support to families across Barnet, Hertfordshire and London.

The packathon, a follow-up event from Mother’s Day, had a target of providing 100 hospital bags with essentials for expectant mothers and their newborn babies.

Sebby’s Corner’s new hub, which was visited by The Princess of Wales before Christmas, is based on the Queen’s Road industrial estate, close to the main QE gates.

Assistant Head (Pupil Involvement) Crispin Bonham-Carter said: “QE has a long tradition of supporting charities, which is very much in line with a key aspect of our mission – that we nurture responsible young men who seek to change things for the better.

“Sebby’s Corner does excellent work in supporting families in real need, and we are therefore delighted to be supporting them, especially since they are now our near-neighbours.”

The 12-strong team from QE’s six houses were invited to spend a morning helping staff sort supplies so that they were ready to be packed into bags. Many of these bags were provided to Barnet Hospital, with some also going to mothers referred to the charity who are refugees, are escaping domestic violence, or are living in poverty.

Founded in 2021 by Bianca Sakol MBE, Sebby’s Corner operates on the principle that no child should go without the basic essentials she or he needs to thrive.

Through referrals from professionals such as midwives, health visitors and teachers, it provides items such as clothing, nappies, formula milk, toiletries and baby equipment. Its Birthday Club also provides presents for children in need on their birthdays.

Four QE scientists headed to Scotland for the national final of a Royal Society of Chemistry competition.

After successfully battling through the regional heats of the long-running Top of the Bench competition, the team took on competitors from around the country at Edinburgh Napier University.

The weekend included not only the competition rounds themselves – a written test and a laboratory-based practical – but also a lecture, a prizegiving ceremony and an address from the RSC President, Professor Gill Reid.

QE’s Head of Chemistry Amy Irvine said: “Our students worked brilliantly together as a team and impressed with their fantastic chemistry knowledge and skills.

“It was a closely fought competition with little to separate the teams, and although they were not named among the eventual winners, getting to the final was itself a huge achievement.

“Moreover, they had a great time sampling university life in the labs and lecture theatres.”

The team comprised Year 11’s Zayn Phoplankar; Vu-lam Le-Nguyen, of Year 10; and Aarush Choudhary and Rishan Virmani, both of Year 9.

They reached the national final after scoring 66 points out of a maximum possible 72 in the Chilterns and Middlesex round of the competition during the autumn.

The four travelled by train to the national final. After the four-and-a-half journey from King’s Cross to the Scottish capital on the East Coast Main Line, they spent Friday evening exploring and relaxing prior to the start of the competition the next day.

“They were excited to see the beautiful Edinburgh old town,” said Dr Irvine. “They then headed back to the hotel, just off the Royal Mile, after a much-needed Nando’s!”

Water was the theme of this year’s Top of the Bench – a competition open to all UK secondary schools that has been running for more than 20 years.

On the Saturday morning, the students completed a written paper with questions that covered areas ranging from separating techniques to neutralisation.

The afternoon brought a team practical assessment. “They had a chance to show their separating technique and have a go at a redox titration – normally an A-level topic!” Dr Irvine added.

The keynote lecture on Chemical engineering to produce clean drinking water came before the competitors heard from Professor Reid.

Two QE ensembles reached the national final of the only nationwide chamber music festival for schools.

The two groups – both in the U19 category – had been among no fewer than 12 QE ensembles to have reached the semi-finals of the 2024 Pro Corda Festival.

Director of Music Ruth Partington said: “The Pro Corda Festival is the only national festival to exclusively promote and celebrate chamber music within schools. It is a prestigious and vibrant celebration of chamber music education in the UK – and 2024’s was the biggest-ever. We were delighted to be able to host both one of the qualifying rounds and one of the semi-finals in The Friends’ Recital Hall here at QE.

“The standard was incredibly high, with students showing real musical understanding and maturity. While neither of our ensembles in the final was named among the winners, it was a great achievement to reach that stage and it was a wonderful and stretching musical experience for all involved.”

Entry in the festival is available to all instrumental ensembles of between three and nine players, who can be of any age from Year 7 to Year 13.

Seventeen ensembles from the School entered the qualifying round on 29^th January. They included ensembles exclusively for piano, violin, trumpet and classical guitar, as well as those for a mix of instruments. Several of QE’s entrants were from mixed year groups, with younger and older musicians working together.

Their repertoire was varied, featuring the work of musical giants from different eras, including Beethoven and Irving Berlin, as well as of less well-known composers, such as Moszkowski, a German-Polish composer who wrote for piano.

In both the qualifying round and semi-final, the ensembles received expert feedback and tuition from an adjudicator in a short workshop after initially performing their pieces. They were then asked to respond to that feedback live, replaying sections of their music.

The following qualified for the semi-final: U19 Trumpet Ensemble; U19 Saxophone Ensemble; U19 Piano Trio A; U19 Saxophone Quintet; U19 Senior Piano Quartet; U19 Piano Trio B; U16 Violin Piano Trio B; U16 Piano Trio A; U16 Junior String Quartet; U16 Violin Trio B; U14 Junior Brass Ensemble A; and U16 Ensemble X.

QE’s top two ensembles then headed to Central Foundation Boys’ School in Shoreditch, London, for the national final. They are pictured here during their semi-final performances. They comprise:

• U19 Violin Piano Trio A – violinists Jason Tao, of Year 12, and Ryuki Watanabe, of Year 11, with Year 10 pianist Noah Morley
• U19 Saxophone Quintet – final-year students Arjun Patel and Nathan Woodcock playing alto sax, together with Tharun Dhamodharan (baritone, Year 13), Nikhil Mark (tenor, Year 12) and Leo Sellis (soprano, Year 11).

QE and the host school were the only state schools to reach the national final. On the day, all participants had the opportunity to meet and mingle with their peers from across the country.

Afterwards, Pro Corda’s CEO, Andrew Quartermain, championed the importance of chamber music for schools. Playing in chamber music ensembles provides “a pivotal and life-long musical and artistic training”, he said, praising the “sparky unique characters, the warm collaboration [and] the individuality in equal measure to the togetherness” seen during the festival.

The five Chamber Champion Ensembles named as winners at the national final were from: King’s High School, Warwick; Ipswich School; Eltham College, south London; Woldingham School, Surrey; and Portsmouth Grammar School.