A busy week of performances for Salopian musicians

After the relaxing coach weekend, the music department returned in their normal, tireless manner to a week of engaging performances and workshops, highlights include: 

On Wednesday we were delighted to welcome visiting pianist Yulia Chaplina, to give a masterclass to some of our incredibly talented pianists. Yulia is a Russian pianist who has won 7 international piano competitions including the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition for Young Musicians, having met Marina (EDH, LVI) at the Coach House School Piano Competition last year she was keen to visit and listen to some of our other gifted musicians.  

Yulia was very impressed with the standard of playing at school and singled out some of our young pianists as exceptional, Joanna’s (QE, IV) performance of Chopin’s Scherzo No.1 in B minor and Marina’s rendition of Rachmaninov’s Etude Op.33 Nos 4 & 5 were just two. Yulia will be back again next term to provide another masterclass to the very best students from the keyboard faculty. 

Our lunchtime concerts began again last week, following a slightly different format this year, with each house now being allocated a concert. Queen Elizabeth Hall were the first to take to the stage on Friday and will prove a hard act to follow with some very exceptional performances. There is definitely some musical talent in Queen’s! 

As part of the OS day on Saturday, a number of our musicians performed in a short recital in the foyer of the Barnes theatre. The concert was very well received and a lovely opportunity for a number of our Lower Sixth new entrants to make their debut here at Shrewsbury.  

Stunning vocal performances were given by Eleonore (G, LVI) and Hettie (EDH, LVI), Chad (SH, LVI) impressed with his elegant Baroque phrasing in the Vivaldi Bassoon Concerto and Ian (SH, LVI) gave a beautifully musical performance of some of Bach’s unaccompanied Cello Suite No.2. They were ably joined by Vuk (Ch, UVI) in Mozart’s Flute Concerto, Hal (Rt, UVI) performing Amy Quate’s Light of Sothis on Saxophone and Ranen (I, IV) in Bernstein’s second movement of his Clarinet Sonata. 

The weekend drew to a close with an exceptional concert for the Shrewsbury Draper’s at St Alkmund’s, despite being so early in the term, it was very re-assuring to watch our talented musicians perform to such a high level and it is only week 4!  

There were some spectacular solo performances by Shawn (S, IV) on French Horn, Jeremy (R, IV) and Marina (EDH, LVI) on Marimba, Bob (S, V) on bassoon, Billy’s (SH, UVI) tenor voice and Mia (MSH, V) and Sandy (O, UVI) performed the challenging Bach Double Violin Concerto on cello!  

There were also some fabulous ensemble performances, beginning with the Chamber Choir, directed by our new Head of Choral, Richard Robbins who sang superbly with a beautifully vocal blend, which was very impressive so early in the year, the String Ensemble entertained with some Bach and Joplin directed by Head of Strings, David Joyce and the wind ensembles, Clarinet ensemble, Wind Quintet and Flute Quartet performed with flair and precision as has become the norm! 

Maria McKenzie

Director of Music