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QE’s younger musicians turned out en masse for the School’s summer concert celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

In a very varied programme that ranged across the genres from traditional Indian classical and western classical to jazz and pop, the boys explored mankind’s enduring fascination with the moon, featuring a number of space-related pieces.

These included the Beethoven composition widely known as the Moonlight Sonata, performed by Year 8 pianist John Zhen, and the popular early 20th-century song, By the Light of the Silvery Moon, played by the Sinfonietta, as well as the Summer Strings’ performance of Barber’s Adagio for Strings, which was played at President Kennedy’s funeral in 1963, six years before his moon-landing vision was fulfilled.

The Brass Ensemble played an arrangement of Debussy’s beautiful Clair de Lune, while the School Choir sang Moondance, the jazz-infused title track on Van Morrison’s third album, released in 1970.

In a speech, Headmaster Neil Enright alluded to astronaut Neil Armstrong’s famous comment on setting foot on the lunar surface that it was “one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind”.

“This ‘one small step for a man’,” he told the audience of parents and other guests, “was, in fact, the last of a very long series of small steps, taken over a period of time, to make that last one possible. And the small steps forwards you take with something now can all add up to a giant leap in the future, or at least lay the foundations for future progress and achievement.”

Acting Director of Music Jennifer Brown said: “We had more than 200 boys taking part – an impressive number considering that it was exam season, so all of Years 11 and 13, and almost all of Year 12, were unavailable.

“Our singers were on excellent form, performing all their pieces by heart, including the 95-strong School Choir – very ably accompanied on the piano by Shivas Patel, from Year 10. Among the high points were the B Minors’ barbershop group’s singing of Don McLean’s Vincent and Smash Mouth’s All Star.“

Mrs Brown also highlighted other aspects of the concert in the Shearly Hall including the collaboration between two different ensembles, the Sinfonietta and Flute Ensemble to perform Moon River, “very professionally directed” by Music teacher Hannah Morgan.

“The Concert Band includes some of our least experienced musicians, and they did really well to perform some challenging repertoire from Star Wars,” Mrs Brown added.

Year 10’s Raphael Herberg was “an absolute star! He directed the Celli beautifully and arranged the music, Dvorak’s New World Symphony, too.”

“String Quartet is another example of an ensemble brilliantly led by pupils themselves. Whilst the Shostakovich [String Quartet No. 8] did not link to our space theme, it was great for the boys to have the opportunity to perform it to a large audience in preparation for the prestigious South East Schools’ Chamber Music Competition they will be entering in the Autumn Term.

Other “super in-house arrangements to best suit our performers” included that by visiting saxophone teacher Maria Payne. She arranged Black Hole Sun – the 1994 hit by American rock band Soundgarden written by frontman Chris Cornell – for the Saxophone Quartet.

The Telugu lyrics of the piece performed by the Junior Indian Ensemble implore Lord Krishna, “Please come my lord Venugopala”. The popular composition, using the carnatic raga Bilahari, is one of the early compositions that children learn when they start carnatic music lessons.

There was even a surprise performance by one ensemble, Friday Jazz, who were not listed in the printed programme. “We didn’t think that they would manage to get here as so many of their group had been away on trips, but they made it and performed Fly Me to the Moon.”

Work on a state-of-the-art new Music School will begin this summer, following Department for Education approval of QE’s funding application.

The multi-million pound project can now be brought forward, enabling QE to offer a host of additional facilities to its young musicians even sooner than expected.

Site works will start with the demolition of the Mayes Building. Construction of the new block itself should begin in 2020, while the School expects the new building to be opened for use in the following academic year.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “Music is flourishing here: we currently have more than 20 different ensembles and some 160 boys singing in the Choir. So, I am delighted to be able to announce an early go-ahead for this important project, which will provide essential support for the Music department.

“The Music School is the next stage in an ambitious long-term estates strategy through which we aim to offer the Elizabethans of today and tomorrow access to the finest facilities for both academic and extra-curricular activities.”

The purpose-built complex in the heart of the School will feature a new performance venue and a number of much-needed teaching and rehearsal rooms. These will be larger than the existing Music facilities and will all be fully equipped to the very latest standards.

In addition, the two-storey building will provide additional assembly space to accommodate our lecture programme, as well as a covered atrium for boys to use at break times.

The DfE package includes a £1.2m grant and a £1m loan. The success of the application to the Government would not have been possible without substantial financial support from the Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s.

“Further support from the Friends, including via the Giving to QE scheme, will be necessary over the coming months and years to complete the building and fully equip it to a high standard,” said Mr Enright.

QE’s estates strategy has transformed the fabric of the School since the mid-1990s, backed by FQE support.

Major developments have included: the technologically advanced Martin Swimming Pool; the large, multi-purpose Shearly Hall, and the extensive complex opened in 2014 in the centre of the campus that includes The Queen’s Library, the Dining Hall, Café 1573 and a Food Technology Suite.

“We have commissioned durable, high-quality architecture for the Music School that will complement the modern, attractive design of these earlier projects and thus help to create an educational environment that is not only practical and efficient, but also aesthetically attractive,” Mr Enright concluded.

• Updates on the project’s progress will be provided here.

Richard Collins is now an award-winning composer writing bespoke music for film, TV and games, with his first musical release and collaboration with Universal’s Aurora Production Music label just out.

Yet, if it had not been for the sage advice he was offered by a teacher when in the Sixth Form, it could all have been very different.

Richard (OE 2005–2012) originally planned to study Law at university. “Although I really struggled to write my personal statement, I managed to get something together and got ready to send off my applications.

“It was only when I gave my personal statement to Mr Hargadon [Liam Hargadon, currently Head of Politics] that he made me realise I was heading in completely the wrong direction.

“Writing my personal statement to study Music was one of the easiest 500 words I’ve ever written.

“Also, there is no doubt my musical experiences at QE were instrumental in laying the foundation for my career.”

After achieving straight As at QE – where he had been a Music Scholar – Richard went on to read Music at Durham, where he first acquired a love for composition. He went on to take a first-class Master’s degree in Composition for Film and Television at Bristol University.

In 2016, his music featured in a Student BAFTA-nominated documentary film, A Lion’s Tale. The following year, he was nominated for the Monkey Bread Tree Award for best original score for the film Rambling On. And then, also in 2017, he won second prize at the annual film-scoring competition for the California Independent Film Festival (CAIFF).

A pianist and clarinettist, Richard has performed at the Royal Albert Hall, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Croydon’s Fairfield Halls and at one of the Queen’s garden parties. He gives private piano or music production tuition to students. In September, he will be joining QE as a peripatetic Music teacher (piano and composition).

He is the co-founder and director of White Square Films, a production company covering all types of video and media production. He has also worked as an assistant to leading composers Martin Phipps and Samuel Sim on productions including Season 3 of Netflix’s The Crown and the BBC’s Black Earth Rising (Phipps) and The Spanish Princess and The Bay (Sim).

In April 2019, Richard’s work appeared on Aurora Production Music’s latest album, Nature’s Way.

• Richard’s music can be heard on his website.

Festive traditions taking in church, charity and Christmas lunch helped bring the Autumn Term to a suitably seasonal end.

The Service of Nine Lessons & Carols at Chipping Barnet Parish featured Christmas music spanning the centuries. Boys and staff raised money for local charities seeking to help the disadvantaged. And the penultimate day of term brought the ever-popular full Christmas lunch in the Dining Hall.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “We had a busy, enjoyable end to the term, with boys also taking time among all the festivities to remember those less fortunate than themselves. As we begin the holidays, I extend my very best wishes to all for Christmas and the New Year.”

At the Carol Service, the congregational singing began with Once in royal David’s city and ended with Hark! The herald angels sing. Interspersed were musical offerings from the Chamber Choir and the School Choir, including their respective renditions of the modern A Child is born in Bethlehem by Malcolm Archer and John Rutter’s Christmas Lullaby, as well as an introit by 16th-century Renaissance composer Palestrina, performed by the Chamber Choir.

The ‘nine lessons’ (Bible readings) were read by a boy from each year, including School Captain Aashish Khimasia, and by staff, culminating in the Headmaster’s traditional Christmas contribution from the opening chapter of St John’s Gospel.

The service was preceded by a short reception for staff past and present, and for governors, members of The Friends of Queen Elizabeth’s and alumni. The reception was held close to the parish church in Tudor Hall, Wood Street, the historic home of the School until it moved to its present location in 1932.

While charity work takes place throughout the year at QE, a special effort is made at Christmas, the traditional season of goodwill. This year, there was a collection for the local food bank and for a local homelessness charity. Boys and members of staff contributed over a week-long period, and a large volume of donations was made.

These charity efforts were organised by Head of Extra-Curricular Enrichment, Rebecca Grundy, with the assistance of prefects.

In addition, in line with recent QE tradition, boys from the School Choir went out carol-singing in aid of Cherry Lodge Cancer Care in Barnet.

It is beginning to look and sound a lot like Christmas at QE…with the School community gathering for the annual Christmas Concert.

The event featured a broad range of festive performances, from the traditional Coventry Carol to the considerably more modern Harry Potter Symphonic Suite.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a very enjoyable evening, with strong performances showcasing the considerable strength and depth of musical interest and talent at the School.

“There were a number of highlights, from the Symphonic Winds stirring performance of Cantique de Noel and the stylish playing of the Saxophone Ensemble of The Most Wonderful Time of the Year to the Barbershop’s unusual and very comedic version of The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

The event was presented in association with the Barnet Rotary Club, a partnership which has endured for many years, and was well supported by QE families, staff, governors, and a number of Old Elizabethans, as well as guests associated with the Rotary Club. The School also welcomed The Deputy Mayor of the London Borough of Barnet, Councillor Caroline Stock, and her husband, Dr Richard Stock, who is himself an Old Elizabethan.

Mr Jim McCarthy, President of the Barnet Rotary Club, welcomed the guests and spoke of some of the local charitable causes the club supports, including the Noah’s Ark Hospice and a Christmas Day party for the elderly.

The concert then began with All I want for Christmas is you from the Year 12 Ensemble, followed by O Come, All Ye Faithful, for which the audience were invited to join in the singing. The Senior Indian Ensemble performed Sabhapathiku; their performance was followed by Mr Santa from the B Minors. Have yourself a merry little Christmas from the Chamber Choir led into the interval, during which mince pies were offered to the guests and the traditional Rotary Club raffle was drawn.

The concert ended with the traditional carol, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, in which the audience again participated.

This concert, along with the traditional Service of Nine Lessons and Carols at the parish church, is one of the two major musical events of the season.

Many of QE’s younger musicians performed in a concert entitled The Show Must Go On – the first of the academic year.

The Music Department event in the Shearly Hall featured around a dozen ensembles drawn heavily from the Lower School.

And even though one – the Guitar Ensemble – was unable to perform because of a technical problem, true to the theme of the evening the other performers valiantly played on to deliver the rest of the programme.

Headmaster Neil Enright said: “This was a very good concert, amply demonstrating the strength of Music at the School in both breadth and depth, as shown on the one hand by the high levels of musical participation – around 100 boys performed in the School Choir alone – and on the other by the talent that was so evident on the night.

“Music is a key part in the wider life of the School, and I congratulate the boys on their preparation and performances.”

Music teacher Jennifer Brown paid tribute to the boys playing publicly for the first time. She pointed out that many members of the Concert Band in particular had not yet progressed beyond grade 2, yet had performed well, the concert providing them with valuable opportunities to improve skills such as sight-reading.

The concert featured diverse music from the world of show business, including hits from The Greatest Showman (the 2017 musical film about American showman and circus impresario P T Barnum), the jazz classic, In The Mood, and, of course, the iconic Queen song borrowed for the concert’s title.

Other well-known pieces of music in the programme ranged from the Allegro in Mozart’s Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, performed by the Flute Ensemble, to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme tune, played by the Celli. The Junior Indian Ensemble performed Paapanaasam Shivan’s Singara Velavan.