Writes Samuel Hill, Music Administrator
This year’s Choral Concert took place last Friday evening at St Matthew’s Oxhey, involving over eighty boys from across the School.
The concert opened with Mendelssohn’s beautiful anthem ‘Verleih uns Frieden’, sung with sensitivity by the School Choir. The same ensemble then sang an arrangement of ‘Dear Theodosia’ from the musical Hamilton, a song whose emotion was wonderfully conveyed by the choir.
Interspersed amongst the choral performances were three solo items, the first of which was Kieran K.’s (U6th) effortless performance on the flute of Enescu’s charming ‘Cantabile et Presto’. The Thomas White Singers performed next, singing a short, reflective anthem by Thomas Tomkins entitled ‘Have Mercy Upon Me, O Lord’.
Cellist Rafi A. (L6th) followed this with an uplifting rendition of the first movement of Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1. After this, the Chamber Choir sang two items, the first of which was Gjeilo’s meditative motet ‘Ubi Caritas’ which worked wonderfully in the acoustic of the church. This was followed by an arrangement of Billy Joel’s timeless ‘And So It Goes’.
The Thomas White Singers then returned to the spotlight to perform two more numbers, beginning with Mr Crawford’s arrangement of the late Dolly Parton’s classic song ‘Jolene’. In the Wellerman the mood changed, and the audience was even invited to participate in this stirring rendition of this well-known shanty. The final soloist of the evening was Thomas B. (5ths), who gave a lyrical rendition of the first movement of Hummel’s Trumpet Concerto. The concert closed with a lively arrangement of Imagine Dragons’ ‘Radioactive’.
We are grateful to the Vicar of St Matthew’s, the Rev’d Joanna Criscenti, for her welcome, and the Churchwardens, for their assistance in the logistics of the concert.
We look forward to welcoming parents, families, and friends to the Lower School Concert on Thursday 26th November (for which free tickets may be obtained here) and the Carol Service on Sunday 13th December (for which free tickets may be booked here).
