Fifty years after the assassination of Martin Luther King, QE’s Music department commemorated the civil rights leader with a concert based on the themes of his most famous speech, I have a dream.
Director of Music Cheryl Horne said: “In 1963, five years before his death, Dr King made the I have a dream speech in which he quoted the words of the American Declaration of Independence: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’. The concert explores ideas of brotherhood and unity, relevant not only then, but equally today.”
The event in the Shearly Hall was the final major concert for the Year 13 leavers, representatives of whom made speeches and presented gifts to Miss Horne and her fellow Music Department staff, Jen Brown and Tom Jack. A number of boys were also presented with Senior Music Colours.
Headmaster Neil Enright said: “It was an excellent evening; I was particularly impressed with the scale of the current School Schoir and how they filled the stage.” The choir performed Man in the Mirror, composed by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett, but made famous by Michael Jackson.
The repertoire ranged from reggae to Beethoven and was performed by an array of ensembles and bands. From the Barbershop group’s rendition of One love/People get ready to the Symphony Orchestra’s performance of The world in unity, the themes were frequently revisited.
The concert opened with Benjamin Britten’s Fanfare for St Edmundsbury, performed by the Trumpet Trio, and closed with the Chamber Choir’s offering of selections from the musical, Hairspray.
Although it sat outside the overall theme for the night, the winning entry from the inter-House Music competition was also performed – Pearce’s arrangement of I’ve had the time of my life, from the 1980s film, Dirty Dancing. Run recently for the first time in five years, the reformatted contest featured specially formed ensembles drawing boys from across all year groups. Each House’s ensemble had to choose a piece based on the theme of the Oscars and then arrange and rehearse it. The competition culminated with a performance of all the pieces to the whole Lower School (Years 7-10) at a special assembly in the Shearly Hall.
One innovation in the programme this year was the introduction of a drinks-and-canapés reception for Old Elizabethans and other special guests immediately prior to the Service of Nine Lessons and Carols in the parish church. This was held in the nearby Tudor Hall – the historic home of the School until it moved to its present site in 1932. The venue was filled to capacity, with 60 guests spanning all generations of OEs, including several who were in London from abroad (including the US and Canada). The prominent feature of the building’s ‘whipping post’ proved a talking point.
The other major musical highlight of the run-up to the end of term was the Christmas Concert in the Shearly Hall, where the School’s choirs led the audience in favourite carols and QE’s leading instrumental ensembles performed music from Bach to Irving Berlin. The Symphonic Winds (a new name for the former Concert Band) produced one of the highlights of the evening, their Selections from Home Alone refreshing memories of what has become a Christmas film classic, while the Senior Indian Ensemble also evoked joy with their rendition of Vilayaadum Pillaikal (The Joyful Children) by Madhurai Mani Iyer.
Between the concert and the carol service, the School site itself became a festive scene, thanks to an early snowfall. Hard work by the staff ensured that no School days were lost.
name suggests, sounds in places like the lament of a donkey, albeit a tuneful one. The group comprises four boys who have worked collaboratively on a class composition project in their Music lessons: Raphael Herberg (cello), Aadarsh Khimasia (flute), Shivas Patel (piano) and Dillan Shah (piano).
In between, Friday Jazz performed standards ranging in style from Louis Jordan’s Is you is or is you ain’t my baby? to Blue in Green, the ballad credited to Miles Davis on his hit record, Kind of Blue, which many have long believed was, in fact, written by pianist Bill Evans.
Music teacher Tom Jack, who hosted the evening, thanked his colleagues, Director of Music Cheryl Horne and teacher Jen Brown, for helping with the arrangements and looking after the guests. He also paid tribute to the work of the peripatetic teachers who had rehearsed some of the ensembles.
Congratulating all the ensembles, Headmaster Neil Enright said: “The boys faced a tricky task: they had first to take into account the particular talents within their House when selecting their piece; then they had to arrange the music themselves, and finally, they faced the challenge of performing together in front of their peers.
The judging panel comprised QE music teachers Tom Jack and Jen Brown, as well as St Albans High School for Girls’ Director of Music, Miss Emma Price, who led the panel and delivered both the feedback and results.
Year 13 pupil Abbas Adejonwo, who was part of the Harrisons’ team, remembers the old Music competition, in which boys performed pieces individually. He recalls finding the experience somewhat daunting as a Year 8 boy, and he welcomed the different arrangements adopted for the revived competition: “It was an exhilarating experience competing in this new format. It really instilled a sense of teamwork – and I am very proud of my House.”