Ensemble Concert

The Amaris choir started the concert under the direction of Sarah Mudd performing Fix You by Chris Martin and I Want You Back/ABC arr. by Brymer. They sang with excellent confidence and created a superb sound as always. Pop Strings (Oscar Blanco Purcell, Katharine Simpson, Sophia Lewin, Frederick Frostwick, Julie Pagy, India Syms, Anne Frampton Hobbs and Rory Highnam) followed with a vibrant version of Happy by Pharrell Williams conducted by Isabel White. The solo 1st violin part was played by Oscar Blanco. The D Saxophone Sextet (Adrian Chan, William Emerson, James Bourke, Edmund Mackay, Arthur Gray, John Martin) repeated their performance from the D show one week earlier of Welsh Air brilliantly and they enjoyed the much warmer acoustic of the concert hall. The Flute Group were under the clear direction of Sarah Beales, handled a difficult arrangement of Eleanor Rigby with great ability. The Violin Trio played Suite for Three Violins Op. 17 by Hermann; it was a brilliant and highly confident performance by three young and impressive music scholars - Samantha Hoang, Katharine Simpson and Frederick Frostwick and expertly coached by Christina Scott.

The Clarinet Quartet performed the jolly piece Easy Winners by Joplin to place a smile on everyone’s faces. Coached by Dugald Clark, the four fine music scholars combined to play this piece - Cairo Folkes, Iona Mackay, Millie Duckett and Bertrand Ellison-Wright. Three excellent A3 musicians gave a wonderful performance of Schubert’s Piano Trio No. 2 in E flat Op. 100: Andante con moto - Johannes Reinhuber, Harry Ellison-Wright and Alma Orr-Ewing. A new ensemble – the Intermediate Brass Group (Luca Sorrentino, Lorna Bond, James Rogers, William de Sallis, Thomas Jeremiah, Alistair Harding, Arthur Gray and Rory Highnam) gave a gutsy performance of Drunken Sailor and they have clearly advanced a long way since they started. This group was coached by Elaine Close and conducted by Dugald Clark. The Soul Band, who had recently performed a whole set of pieces at the Durweston fete played, Cupid with Lottie Thomas taking the solo vocal role, Happy with Carolina Baigrie as the vocal soloist and Uptown Funk with the entertaining Sam White on vocals. The names of the other players were - George Lodge, James Rogers, Poppy Hosford, James Emerson, Ella Harris, Bertrand Ellison-Wright and George Haviland. They performed Johnny be Good as the audience left.

Huge congratulations to all performers for providing such an entertaining evening and with no A2s involved, it is great to know that there is such depth of musical talent at Bryanston. It was so lovely to watch all the performers clearly enjoying their performances. A speech was given at the end by Duncan Emerson, to thank Sarah Mudd for her outstanding five years at Bryanston as Choral Director of Amaris choir. She has brought out the very best in the girls and provided enjoyment to both the girls in the choir and their audiences. Sarah takes up the role as Director of Music at Walhampton Prep School.

Duncan Emerson
Director of Music