Senior Music Competition

In the preliminary rounds of the competition, we heard over 40 boys perform, narrowing it down to just eighteen performances in the final. The evening opened with performances by three Bens (Mr Hoskins at this point wondered if everyone at MTS was called Ben). Ben K began with his lyrical performance of Fly Me to the Moon. Although he could have dispensed with the stand between him and the audience, the performance was captivating, and he won the brass class. Ben L followed with a movement from Strauss' Horn Concerto No. 1, a challenging piece authoritatively performed. The strings class opened with Ben P on the harp, who played an enchanting French piece, Au Matin by Marcel Tournier, exhibiting a wide range of techniques, the performance with engaging throughout. He was followed by Ayoush S, who continued the French theme with Massenet's Meditation, a familiar favourite, superbly executed. The class closed with Max C, playing from memory a movement from Brahms' Violin Sonata No. 3, a technically demanding piece. The winner of the strings class was Ayoush.

The three singers whom we heard performed very different pieces, beginning with a movement from Bach's Christmas Oratorio, performed by Ralph S. This was bold and clear, though Mr Hoskins was less than convinced about the accuracy of the Teutonic language. Ethan A followed with Ireland's Seas Fever, which was crisp and reflective without being introspective. Alex E finished the class with Gilbert and Sullivan's The Policeman's Song. Alex played the part very convincingly, eliciting more than a moderate chuckle from the audience as he descended to the depths of his range. In the end, Ethan won the singing class.

In the percussion class we heard two drummers, one playing a jazz standard, and the other a more modern song. Despite criticism of the technical setup, the two drummers commanded their instrument well, and gave crisp and measured performances. Jonah G won this class, beating Aryan D.

In the woodwind class we heard Ryan P on the saxophone and Zain A on the flute. Ryan played lyrically with a good tone, and clearly enjoyed his performance of Sparke's Little Overture.

Zain's rendition of Faure's Fantasie was technically demanding, but in the end it was he who was crowned the winner of the class. In the guitar class we saw the return of a Ben, namely Ben L, whose relaxed performance of his own arrangement of the theme from Schindler's List saw him fend off competition from his opponents as early as the preliminary rounds. As such, the adjudicator was confidently able to award Ben the prize for the class.

The final round was the longest, in which we heard five pianists. As Mr Hoskins pointed out, Wednesday was both Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day, offering the discerning observer of the ecclesiastical calendar quite a stark choice of moods. And in this round, as throughout the evening, we were presented with variety, unified by high standards. Tim L's performance of the theme from Avatar was distinctive in its passion, and Max C's accomplished rendition of Bach's Toccata in E minor was carefully and elegantly presented. Ivan N, braving illness, gave a heartfelt performance of When You Wish upon a Star, which was followed by Elliot G's playing of Faure's Andante Moderato. The performances ended with Dominic D's superb performance of Brahms' Rhapsody in G minor, technically demanding throughout and performed superbly.

After a brief intermission, allowing the thirty or so parents to replenish their glasses whilst the adjudicator gathered his thoughts, we returned to the Recital Hall to hear the feedback which Mr Hoskins so helpfully gave. At the end of the evening, Ivan N was awarded the Reynolds Cup for Excellence in Musical Performance, thus becoming the first person to win the Senior Music Competition more than once.