Shrewsbury
Pupils showcase exceptional talent at annual Piano and Woodwind Festivals
It was fantastic to see so many pupils taking part in the annual Piano and Woodwind Festivals.
This year's Piano Festival began with a piano duet workshop.
Eight duet groups were signed up for the session, performing a variety of piano duet pieces. Being a pianist can sometimes feel solitary, as much of the focus is on solo repertoire. Therefore, this workshop provided students with a great opportunity to experience playing in an ensemble. The main focus was on continuing to play even when mistakes are made, staying aware of each other’s parts, and listening attentively to one another. The students thoroughly enjoyed exploring the experience of playing in a duet.
For this year's Piano Prize, we were fortunate to have Victor Lim, Head of Keyboard Studies at Rossall School and Piano Tutor at the University of Manchester and Royal Northern College of Music, as our adjudicator. The competitors were divided into three different classes based on their levels, and the audience was treated to a series of excellent performances throughout the afternoon. It’s important to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of these young pianists, who took the time to prepare and perform their pieces in such a formal setting. It takes a great deal of courage to step onto the stage and perform solo, as anyone can imagine.
The first prize in the highest class was awarded to Kai, who performed the masterpiece "Chaconne" by Bach-Busoni. This is a piece for pianists at an extremely advanced level, and Kai demonstrated both technical mastery and a mature understanding of the work in his confident and majestic performance.
Mr. Lim said: “It was a true privilege to listen to the 22 wonderfully gifted pianists at Shrewsbury School who played repertoire ranging from Grade 5 pieces to the magnificent Bach/Busoni Chaconne. I was most impressed with the high levels of commitment, preparation and musicality in all the performances. This not only highlights the incredible musical talent within the school but also reflects the dedication and guidance of its inspiring team of teachers.”
Intermediate
- 1st - Kathy (MSH, UVI)
- Highly Commended - George (Ch, IV)
Senior
- 1st - Lucy (QEH, V)
- 2nd - Harry (S, LVI)
- 3rd - Arron (SH, III)
- Highly Commended - Hironari (I,V)
Advanced
- 1st - Kai (I, LVI)
- 2nd - Joanna (QEH, V)
- 3rd - Chit (R, IV)
- Highly Commended - Tom (Ch, UVI)
Yuki Kagajo
Head of Keyboard
We also had the pleasure of welcoming Anna Hashimoto to school to adjudicate our annual wind festival.
Anna is a professional clarinettist who teaches at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire of Music and works with the National Youth Orchestra. We had nearly sixty students participating over three different classes to which Anna brought a wealth of knowledge.
The day began with a spectacular ensemble class, we managed to create ten ensembles from duets to quartets utilising all the wind players from the grade 1- 8 standard. The students were put into an ensemble with students of similar standards and presented with a piece, after only 1 hour and 30 minutes, they performed their piece in a concert to their peers, parents, guardians and staff from school. Anna spent the session moving around each group and awarded the following prizes:
- Chamber performance: Grace G (M, IV)
- Leadership: Paula U (G, LVI)
- Aural awareness: George T (Ch, IV)
We then moved on to the first recital class, which featured students who have taken grade 8 and are working towards their first diploma, we had 13 students perform on all woodwind instruments.
The results were:
- First: Aoife B (U VI, EDH) Saxophone
- Highly commended: Ben F (IV, Ch) Saxophone
- Commended: Ben F (V, O) Oboe
Our final class of the day featured 8 of our very best wind players, the competition was tough, and all the students performed to an extremely high standard.
The results were:
- First: Hazel C (MSH, IV) Clarinet
- Highly commended: Ranen C (I, V) Clarinet
- Commended: Bob L (S, LVI) Bassoon
Anna commented that it was so thrilling to see so many woodwind players, and to hear some truly astonishing playing! She was surprised by the extraordinary level of musicianship that our students demonstrated, and she gave knowledgeable feedback to each student to further develop their level of performance.
Katy Landon
Head of Wind, Brass & Percussion
