Music and Drama

Drama

Monologues and Duologues

On 12 November pupils from Years 9 to 12 performed a series of monologues and duologues to a studio audience. This was the culmination of work during the Drama Tuesday Afternoon Activity, where pupils, directed by Mr Rob Vesty, prepared their pieces using Stanislavski’s techniques to encourage a deeper understanding of their characters. With clever manipulation of the studio space and a skilful lighting design by Nicholas Ward, the evening was a thoroughly engaging theatrical experience. The cast included Christof Epaminondas, Isabella Mullens, Avigail Bartov, Charlotte Holtum, Gabriel Owen, Laurie Briggs, Thomas Shepherd, Yaseen Kader, Leonidas Mylonadis and Oliver Shepley.

Sweeney Todd

Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd directed by Miss Juliet Fehr and Mr Gareth Hanson played to packed houses in December. The cast took on the challenge of acting while coping with the difficult score with great success. The cast included Sam Carl, Joanna Siddall, Katie Matthews, Robin Sheffield, Omer Tiroche, Charlotte Holtum, Arthur Graham-Dixon, Henry Zeffman, Patrick Dodd and Alex Grigg.

Cyrano de Bergerac

This year’s French play, acted entirely in French, with subtitles for the less linguistically gifted audience, was Edmond Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac, was directed by Miss Cécile Pottier and Mr Andrew Plaistowe, with a cast including Omer Tiroche, Jake Goodman, Sasha Hajnal-Corob, Ben Joseph and Jamie Worthington.

Hippolytus

Guy Woolf (OC) who left Highgate last year returned to direct Hippolytus during Classics Week. The cast included: Charlotte Holtum, Thomas Wright, Arthur Graham-Dixon, Lotte Elton, Charlotte Boundy, Benedict Reed, and a special appearance as the goddess Artemis by Dr Kathryn Kramer.

Abigail’s Party

Another OC, this time Raoul-Edward Rechnitz, joined forces with India Crawford (12KG) to direct a Year 12 production, Abigail’s Party. The cast included: Jack Light, Rosalia Myttas-Perris, Lara Pearson, Georgina Edwards and Tarik Basri.

Rhinoceros

Rob Vesty directed Ionesco’s Rhinoceros for this community project which drew in pupils from Highgate, Fortismere, Hornsey School for Girls, and Alexandra Park School, and which was performed at the Jackson’s Lane Community Centre. The cast included: Billie Esplen, Charlie Gladstone, Colin Kpodonu, Dan Goldman-Rundle, Jacob Green, Lily Kuenzler, Oliver Dixon, Sophie Ishak, Uri Inspector and Joe Dharampal-Hornby.

The Lyttelton Competition

On a crisp autumnal evening in October, around one hundred people gathered in the Mills Centre to celebrate Highgate’s annual grand finale of National Poetry Week, the Lyttelton Competition. The 25 finalists were selected from over 400 hopefuls in the preliminary rounds, which began at the start of the Michaelmas Term in their English lessons. This year, finalists attended workshops with performance poet, Inua Ellams on the day of the competition and this, combined with the ever-increasing quality of the poetry, made for a difficult evening for the judges, Gordon Catherwood and Juliet Fehr. In the end, Maia Blumberg (8H) and Joe Berriman (9EG) won in the Junior Competition; in the Intermediate Competition, the winners were Leo Mylonadis (11GH) and Benjamin Sidi (11HG); Tom Wright (13MG) was the undisputed winner of the Senior Competition. The English Department is very much looking forward to hosting next year’s competition in the newly refurbished Dyne House Auditorium.

Music

Southwark Cathedral Concert

The Concert Choir, Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Symphonic Band and A Cappella (103 pupils in all) performed a concert in Southwark Cathedral in early March. Previously this concert took place jointly with Channing School, but due to the Senior School’s now being almost fully co-educational, it was decided that we would perform alone this year. There was a varied programme, beginning with Bach’s Mass in F for choir and orchestra, with the three arias performed by pupils in Y13 (Samuel Carl, Joanna Siddall & Katie Matthews) rather than the usual professional soloists. The Chamber Orchestra, performing under the name of Collegium Musicum with baroque bows generously donated by the Friends of Highgate School, played Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No.3; Henry Zeffman in Y11 played a prominent viola solo. The newly-founded A Cappella group of sixteen specialist singers performed Eric Whitacre’s “Water Night”, a piece in up to fifteen vocal parts well suited to the resonant acoustic of the Cathedral. The Symphonic Band performed “East Coast Pictures” by Nigel Hess, originally composed for the British Youth Wind Band. The Symphony Orchestra played Schubert’s “Unfinished” Symphony, and the concert closed with Handel’s “Zadok the Priest”, performed by most of the pupils present. The event was well received by all, and it was much appreciated that all the music was performed by pupils, rather than needing relying on professional vocal soloists.

November Concert

142 pupils ranging in age from 11 to 18 took part in this concert in Big School. The Symphonic Band opened the concert with Rossano Galante’s “Resplendent Glory” and Richard Saucedo’s Symphony No.1. The String Sinfonietta (made up of players in YY7-11) continued with Three Dances from Purcell’s “The Fairy Queen”. The mixed-voice Chorale sang an arrangement of Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm” and the first half of the concert closed with the Chamber Orchestra performing Grieg’s Holberg Suite. The Symphony Orchestra played Rossini’s Overture to “William Tell”, with excellent solos performed by Frances Jones, Samuel Carl, Katie Matthews & Edward Carden (Y13), James Sperling (Y12), Mark Pugh (Y11) and Baichuan Li (Y10). The concert closed with Bruckner’s Te Deum. A total of 95 pupils assembled to perform the piece, joined by four professional vocal soloists. It was an event enormously enjoyed by all.

Prism Concert (Lent Term)

This new style of concert was introduced in early February to provide a suitably relaxed and varied setting for the wide range of music and ages of performers. There was an open bar, with tables and chairs set out for the audience. The various performing groups were placed in different corners of Big School, enhanced by coloured lighting. The event opened and closed with the Concert Band (pupils in YY7-11) performing Festivo by Nelhýbel and Roland Barrett’s “Arabian Dances”. There were performances from three quartets: one of brass, one of saxophones and one of strings. The Brass Ensemble and Saxophone Choir, mostly made up of younger pupils, also performed. The Jazz Orchestra played Kris Berg’s “Poultry In Motion”, showing off their new-found abilities in the art of improvisation. A welcome encore was the debut of A Cappella, giving a performance of “Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite”, made famous by The Spaniels in 1954.

Charity Musical Soirée

This concert was performed largely by Music Award holders and took place during February’s Charity Week. The programme consisted of five solos by scholars in Y13, a string quartet of pupils in YY9-11 performing Beethoven and Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet (first movement) played by pupils in YY11-13. Additionally, A Cappella performed an arrangement of Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” and the Moyse Wind Quintet played Ibert’s Trois pieces brèves. The largest item in the concert, both in terms of length and number of performers, was Bach’s Cantata No.10, Meine Seel erhebt den Herren, involving five vocal soloists, the Chorale and an orchestra made up of six pupils and members of the full-time Music Department teaching staff, conducted by Miss Emma Price, the newest member of the Department. £260 was raised for the school’s chosen Charities.

Spring Concert

143 pupils ranging in age from 11 to 18 took part in this concert in Big School at the end of March. The Samba Band began the event with Samba Batucada, followed by “Palladio” by Karl Jenkins, performed by the String Sinfonietta. The Junior Choir’s (YY7-8) sang a three-part arrangement of “The Rhythm Of Life” by Cy Coleman. The Reiche Brass Quartet played Contrapunctus I from Bach’s “The Art of Fugue” and the Percussion Ensemble performed “Sticking together” by Glenn Clarke. A Cappella continued with Versa est in luctum by Victoria and the Rousseau Saxophone Quartet played the G-minor fugue from Bach’s Well-tempered Clavier Bk2. The Chorale performed the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis from Rachmaninov’s Vespers, with Benjamin Gerrans (Y12) singing the tenor solo.

The concert concluded with “Where the bee dances” by Michael Nyman, a concerto for solo soprano saxophone and large ensemble of 21 players. Max Davidson (Y13), who had won the School Music Competition in October, was the soloist The great deal of hard work put into this final piece by all performers was recognised by the audience, who greeted the end of the performance with a standing ovation.

Summer Music Festival

This year’s festival took place on 21st-23rd June. There were three fun-packed days of workshops and concerts much enjoyed by all the pupils who took part.

Monday 21st June
The morning session was taken up by Peter Willcock and Vicky Wright’s Woodwind and Voice Improvisation Workshop. Pupils learnt the art of story-telling through vocalisation, performing sections of Cathy Berberian’s “Stripsody”, a work using comic-book sounds in graphic notation. Pupils also learnt to use new performing techniques on their instruments to enhance their repertoire of sounds. These were expertly displayed at the ensuing Lunchtime concert.

In the afternoon there were rehearsals for the Junior Ensembles Evening Concert in the Dining Hall. The first time the location was used, it proved to be a fine acoustic for the mix of ensembles, many of which were shortly to go on a tour to France. The Junior String Ensemble began with “The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” by Handel, followed by the String Sinfonietta’s performances of the March from “Scipio” (also by Handel) and three pieces by Lully.
The Concert Band performed an arrangement of four pieces made famous by Count Basie and his Band, and a medley of film themes by John Williams. The Chamber Choir (consisting of six pupils in Year 8) then sang an arrangement of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, followed by the Junior Choir’s performances of “Jazz Gloria”, Cy Coleman’s “The Rhythm Of Life” and Lionel Bart’s “I’d Do Anything” from “Oliver!”. The evening was enjoyed by all present and was an excellent example of the kind of music-making that will be seen on the tour.

Tuesday 22nd June
The morning session was dominated by a brass workshop given by tuba-player Mike Poyser. There was a mixture of free improvisation, structured improvisation, ensemble-playing from score and solo performances. Once again, the pupils demonstrated what they had learnt in a lunchtime concert (on Dyne House terrace) after the workshop. Concurrently, there was a workshop for string and woodwind players (taken by Mr Barrella and Mr Stewart) preparing for Associated Board music exams in which they marked each other’s performances and learned about the examiner’s perspective.

The afternoon saw 40 singers come together for a workshop on a variety of different choral styles, from rounds to spirituals to close harmony. A fine set of performances was given afterwards in the Undercroft.

Wednesday 23rd June
The final day began with a Jazz Workshop given by Alan Hardiman, the school’s jazz trombone teacher and director of the Jazz Orchestra. As with the brass ensemble the previous day, the pupils worked on a variety of improvisation techniques, including responding during performance to Mr Hardiman’s suggestions of riffs. Concurrently there was another Associated Board music exams workshop, this time for pianists, taken once again by Mr Barrella. The pianists then performed a recital in the Music Department over lunch.

The final event of the Festival was a highly popular Picnic Pops Concert on the playing fields outside the Dining Hall. The evening began with items from the morning’s Jazz Workshop, followed by a set performed by Dynasty Jazz, a very promising group of five pupils in Years 8 & 9. The Jazz Orchestra then played three numbers: “Poultry in Motion” by Chris Berg, “Pick up the Pieces” by Roger Ball and Isaac Hayes & David Porter’s “Soul Man”. The A Cappella ensemble sang a nine-part arrangement of Max Martin’s “…Baby One More Time”, with Joanna Siddall (13GH) standing in for Britney Spears. For the finale of the event, a special Pops Orchestra was created, performing extracts from “Chicago”, “Phantom of the Opera” and “Star Wars”, as well as Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No.1. As an additional surprise, there was a special appearance by West End and “Bad Girls” star Siobhán McCarthy, singing “I Dreamed A Dream”.

House Music Competitions

This year’s vocal competition was won by Kingsgate singing their own arrangement of Burt Bacharach’s “I Say A Little Prayer”, made famous by Aretha Franklin and Dionne Warwick. The instrumental competition was won by The Lodge’s performance of Karl Jenkins’s “Palladio”. The adjudicators were Peter Gritton, Director of Music at St Paul’s School (vocal) and Roderick Chadwick of the Royal Academy of Music (instrumental). Eastgate and Westgate were placed equal second in both the vocal and instrumental Competitions.

Solo Competition Week

The second year of the Music Competition Week was a great success. Pupils competed as soloists in one or more of four section competitions (Wind & Brass, Singing, Strings and Piano) at either Preliminary, Intermediate or Advanced level (depending on ability) on four successive afternoons. The top three at the Advanced level in each of the four sections went through to the Grand Final, and evening event on the last day. Overall there were 104 separate entries for the week’s events. The overall winner was Max Davidson (Y13), performing Prélude, Cadence et Finale by Desenclos on the alto saxophone. Runners-up were Frances Jones (Y13) on the piano and Ellie Salter (Y9) on the flute. The adjudicator of the Grand Final was Alison Moncrieff Kelly, Director of Music at Blackheath Conservatoire.

String Quartet-in-Residence

The school’s continued collaboration with the Barbirolli Quartet has led to a joint performance of Shostakovich’s String Quartet No.8 with members of the quartet leading ten pupils in a small orchestral performance. In addition, members of the quartet have participated in chamber-music coaching throughout the year.

Wind Quintet-in-Residence

The school has been lucky enough to appoint the Calefax Reed Quintet as its Wind Quintet-in-Residence, joining the Barbirolli Quartet on its roster of professional musicians giving regular masterclasses and concerts at the school. The prize-winning quintet from Holland has recorded many albums and performs throughout the world. This year they gave two masterclasses and performed an excellent evening concert in Big School, preceded by an open rehearsal attended by a large number of woodwind and brass pupils. The following day they appeared on BBC Radio 3’s “In Tune” afternoon drive-time programme, singing the praises of the very high musical standard of the pupils at Highgate.

Daniel Hope

International concert violinist Daniel Hope (OC) visited the school in January to give a masterclass to our large group of talented violinists. Mr Hope is a regular soloist at the Proms and a member of the prestigious Beaux Arts Trio. He has recently performed in the Bundestag in Berlin and is a regular broadcaster on television. He was very impressed with the standard of the players and the pupils very much valued and enjoyed his helpful comments and advice.

National Festival of Music for Youth

In early April the Chamber Orchestra in their baroque bow-using guise as the Collegium Musicum took part in the regional competition of the National Festival of Music for Youth in central London. They passed this section of the event and will be performing at the national finals in Symphony Hall, Birmingham on 7th July.

Year-group Concerts

There have been a number of concerts during the year given by individual year groups. These consist of solo and chamber performances by members of Years 7 to 10.

Performance Platforms

These concerts take place on a regular basis and number around six to eight per term. They are informal events that take place in the Undercroft. Any pupil of any standard is welcome to perform at these events and there has been a large uptake of interest among the pupils. More recently, concerts have occasionally focussed on particular areas of the Department’s activities, such as the Saxophone and Brass concerts which took place in May.