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.