Bedford School’s annual St Cecilia’s Concert ushered in the festive season with a dazzling showcase of musical talent spanning centuries and styles.
Taking place on Wednesday 3 December in the Great Hall, the evening opened with the Brass Ensemble performing Purcell’s Trumpet Tune and Air, followed by Thunderbrass’s lively rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Sir Duke. The Chamber Orchestra, conducted by Director of Music Mr Joss Sanders, brought Baroque elegance on strings with Corelli’s Christmas Concerto, featuring superb solos from violinists Harry (Upper Sixth) and Elias (Fifth Form) and cellist, Ansel (Upper Sixth).
Modern flair came from the New Jazz Collective, who impressed with Roy Hargrove’s Strasbourg/St Denis, learnt and retained entirely by ear. The last group to perform before the interval was the Jazz Orchestra, who performed the Bedford School Blues, written collectively as an ensemble, followed by an arrangement of Saje’s Desert Song.
Part Two commenced in cinematic grandeur, with the Orchestra of the Ouse delivering John Williams’ Raiders March and the Concert Band thrilling audiences with Murray Gold’s I Am the Doctor from Doctor Who.
The Consort Choir, the boys joined by sopranos and altos from Bedford Girls’ School, provided contrast with Orlando Gibbons’ haunting madrigal The Silver Swan and Tracy Wong’s upbeat Take This Gift. The evening concluded triumphantly with the Symphony Orchestra performing Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, complete with off-stage brass fanfares.
Director of Music Mr Joss Sanders was delighted with all the performances, saying, “The concert was a real celebration of the diversity of music-making here at Bedford School, all the way from a Baroque Concerto Grosso with harpsichord from the Chamber Orchestra to a world premiere of a group composition by the Jazz Orchestra!”
Audience members left delighted, praising the talented musicians involved. From Baroque classics to jazz grooves and film scores, the concert embodied the spirit of St Cecilia and the joy of music-making at Christmas.
