Wednesday 24th March 7pmWednesday 24th March 7pmS t r e a m e d l i v e o n P l a n e t e S t r e a m

SpringSpringSpring ConcertConcertConcert

WelcomeThe Shrewsbury High School Music Department is delighted to welcome you to an evening of musical entertainment at our Spring Concert 2021.

Due to the closure of schools in early January, we have transformed this much-loved event in our calendar year to create greater opportunities for our young people to gain experience as solo musicians and enjoy the chance to develop new skills in arranging, editing and composing. Once again, we are so proud of our pupils for responding and adapting superbly to the different challenges of recording music at home, as well as producing music for a virtual world.

As ever, the Music Department is also very grateful to all our superb peripatetic teachers who have prepared their pupils for their solo performances, as well as our colleagues who help to make such virtual events possible through their expertise and assistance, particularly Mrs Pardoe for her beautiful programme and graphic designs, and Mr Petford for his IT prowess.

It is no secret that the 2020-21 academic year has provided challenges for the Arts due to the ever-developing national scene. Nevertheless, Music remains alive and strong at Shrewsbury High School and this is because of the resilience and adaptability of all our pupils from prep to seniors. It says so much about their character and endeavour that we have still been able to enjoy our Autumn Concert, Carol Service and now our Spring Concert. To all our pupils, we want to say the biggest and most heart-felt thank you. We are, as always, extremely proud of you all.

With the merging together of our two fantastic schools in September, the Performing Arts Team have many exciting plans. There is so much to look forward to on our horizon and we are excited to share these wonderful opportunities with you all very soon.

Have a wonderful evening.

Mr J DeakinDirector of Music at Seniors

Mr C BunnDirector of Music at Prep

Mr D NevilleAssistant Head & Director of Sixth Form

Artwork by Francia Besterman Year 10, Shrewsbury High School

Virtual Super ChoirYou’ll Never Walk Alone

Rogers & Hammersmith

Lily Atkin - SaxophoneSonata for Alto Sax and Piano

Phil Woods

You’ll Never Walk Alone originates from the second act of the 1945 Rogers and Hammerstein music

Carousel, performed when the husband of the main protagonist dies under tragic circumstances. It

subsequently went on to achieve great success in the 1963 charts through the Liverpool based band Gerry

and the Pacemakers and is now more commonly recognised as the adopted anthems of football clubs

such as Liverpool F.C and Celtic F.C. Its message of resilience, togetherness and overcoming adversity has

arguably never been more powerful. This virtual performance is brought to you by pupils and teachers

from prep and seniors.

Composer and saxophonist Phil Woods (1931-2015) was a prolific jazz musician who toured and

performed with some of the finest artists of his day, such as Billy Joel, Quincy Jones and Dizzy Gillespie.

The Sonata for Alto Sax and Piano, originally titled Four Moods, was dedicated by Woods to his close

friend Victor Morosco, who premiered the work in in1962 at Carnegie Hall. Although it is entitled Sonata,

connoting classical forms and conventions, the heavy influence of jazz permeates the entire work from its

complex harmonic palette, exciting and unpredictable rhythmic energy and improvisatory nature. We will

hear the first movement of the sonata, performed by Music Prefect Lily Atkin.

Light of Sothis1. Grace

Amy Quate

This beautiful work is dedicated to saxophonist Debra Richtmeyer, who commissioned the work and

premiered it at the Seventh World Saxophone Congress in Nurnberg, Germany.

Sothis, now called Sirius, is the brightest star in heaven. The ancient Egyptian calendar, called the Sothic

Year, was based on the heliacal rising of this lovely, shining star. Sothis is also the star aspect of the great

goddess Isis, whose light circumscribes the cycles of nature that bring beauty, prosperity and life.

Senior StringsPalladio

Karl Jenkins

Tara Taylor - VocalsConsider Yourself

Lionel Bart

Palladio is a composition for string orchestra by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, written in 1995, with the

title referring to the Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). The work is in three

movements and follows the forms and conventions of a concerto grosso, one of the most popular styles of

the Baroque period. We will hear the first movement performed by the Senior Strings.

Marie Balzhyk- HarpMatador’s Lament

Fiona Clifton-Welker

Consider Yourself is a song from the 1960 original West End and Broadway musical Oliver! and the 1968

film of the same name. In all versions, Dodger sings it when he first meets Oliver, after offering to get the

destitute orphan food and lodging. Lyrically, it is an enthusiastic gift of friendship from Dodger and his as-

yet-unseen gang to Oliver, assuring him warmly he can consider himself “our mate” and “one of the family”

as “it’s clear we’re going to get along”. The 1968 film builds it to a spectacular extended song-and-dance

routine involving the street crowd, market workers, policemen and chimney sweep boys.

Alice Baker - Electric guitarWonderwall

Oasis

Fiona Clifton-Welker began studying the harp at the age of twelve and went on to graduate from the

University of York with an honours degree in music and then studied for a further year at the Guildhall of

Music and Drama in London. The Matador’s Lament comes from her series of compositions Harping On.

Wonderwall is a song by the English rock band Oasis. The song was produced by Noel Gallagher and Owen

Morris for the band’s second studio album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995). According to Gallagher,

Wonderwall describes “an imaginary friend who’s gonna come and save you from yourself”. It remains one of

the band’s most popular songs and was voted No. 1 on the Australian alternative music radio station Triple

J’s “20 Years of the Hottest 100” in 2013.

Lucy Humphreys - VocalsTimes are Hard for Dreamers

Daniel Messé

Times are Hard for Dreamers is the opening number from the musical Amelie, based on the 2001 romantic

comedy film of the same name. The song is performed by young Amelie, who lives at home with

germaphobe father, Raphael, and neurotic mother, Amandine, feeling isolated and emotionally distant from

her parents. She takes solace in her telescope, which she uses to view the universe from afar.

Hannah Davies - VocalsThe Lady is a Tramp

Richard Rogers

The Lady Is a Tramp is a show tune from the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical Babes in Arms, in which it was

introduced by former child star Mitzi Green. This song is a spoof of New York high society and its strict

etiquette (the first line of the verse is “I get too hungry for dinner at eight...”) and phony social pretensions. It

has become a popular music standard.

Holly France-Brookshaw - VocalsMi Todo

Mariah Carey

HelloLionel Richie

Holly is a year 9 pupil at seniors who loves to sing and perform. These are two of her own performances for

guitar and voice. Mi Todo (My All) comes from Mariah Carey’s sixth album Butterfly (1997), while the

much-loved and famous Hello comes from Richie’s second solo album Can’t Slow Down (1983).

Darcy Duhra - ClarinetTico-Tico No Fubà

Zequinha de Abreu

Tico-Tico No Fubà“sparrow in the cornmeal”, or, literally, “rufous-collared sparrow in the cornmeal”)

is a Brazillian Choro song written by Zequinha de Abreu in 1917. Its original title was Tico-Tico no farelo

(“sparrow in the bran”), but since Brazilian guitarist Américo Jacomino “Canhoto” (1889–1928) had a work

with the same title, Abreu’s work was given its present name in 1931. Outside Brazil, the song reached its

peak popularity in the 1940s, with successful recordings by Ethel Smith, The Andrews Sisters (with English-

language lyrics by Ervin Drake), Carmen Miranda and others.

Head Choirister Ensemble - VocalsSeal Lullaby

Eric Whitacre

Eric Whitacre is an American composer and choral conductor, with a predilection for richly dissonant and

evocative choral music. In the spring of 2004, Whitacre was approached by a renowned film studio and

asked if he would like to compose the music to upcoming animated film based on Kipling’s children’s story,

The White Seal, in which Kipling begins his tale with the mother seal singing softly to her young pup: an

opening poem called The Seal Lullaby. Whitacre says he was struck so deeply by those first beautiful words,

that a “simple, sweet Disney-esque song just came gushing out of me.” But when the composer had not

heard back from the studio for weeks, he started to worry. After ringing the studio and begging to know

why his composition had been rejected, he was candidly informed by an executive: “oh, we just decided to

make Kung Fu Panda instead…”

Zaid Al Nasiri - PianoSnurretoppenKarl Nielsen

The Danish Composer Carl Nielsen studied violin and composition at the Copenhagen Conservatory

(1884-86). From 1889 to 1905 he was employed as a violinist in the Danish court orchestra, and later

he worked as a music teacher and conductor in Copenhagen. He often travelled to other European

and Scandinavian countries to direct performances of his own music. This piece is taken from Nielsen’s

Humoreske-Bagateller, Op. 11, of 1897. Bagatelles are short pieces in a light style, and the term ‘humoreske’

gives indication of their contents: they are a set of six short, lively pieces of a fanciful character, reflected in

their titles (‘The Jumping Jack’ and ‘Puppet March’, for example). Snurretoppen – meaning spinning top – uses

the same six-note motif Franz Schubert employed 80 years earlier in his

famous Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel.

Aban Al Nasiri - PianoThe Detective

Pam Wedgwood

British composer Pam Wedgewood is considered one of the top educational composers of the day with a

career spanning over 50 years, after she began composing short pieces for her pupils in the early 1970s.

Wedgewood began her long association with publishers Faber Music in 1988 with the highly acclaimed

series Jazzin’ About, followed by the Up-Grade! series (where this work The Detective was published) and It’s

Never Too Late to Play Piano. Her music is recognised around the world by young instrumentalists.

Benedict Powell-Turner - Vocals You Give Me Something

James Morrison

SaxophonePiece En Forme De Habanera

Maurice Ravel

You Give Me Something is the first single by English singer James Morrison, which was released on

16 July 2006. The song is featured on his debut album, Undiscovered, which was released on 31 July

2006. It reached number one in New Zealand and the top 10 in several nations, including Australia, the

Netherlands, Switzerland, and the UK.

The song was nominated for a BRIT Award in the category Best British Single Shortlist in 2007.

During the late 1800s, a trend developed among the top French composers of the day to compose in the

increasingly popular Spanish style. Ravel, though being something of a rebel in his younger years as a

composer, decided to follow this trend and composed his Piece en Forme de Habanera. Originally written for

wordless voice, it lends itself very well to instrumental performance and has been arranged for numerous

instruments and orchestral settings.

Martha Fletcher - FluteThe Can CanOppenbach

The can-can is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popular music-hall dance in

the 1840s, continuing in popularity in French cabaret to this day. Originally danced by both genders, it is

now traditionally associated with a chorus line of female dancers. The main features of the dance are the

vigorous manipulation of skirts and petticoats, along with high kicks, splits, and cartwheels. Though many

composers have written music for the can-can, this version by French composer Offenbach (1819-1880) is

perhaps the most well-known and famous.

Piers Elves - CelloSicilienneParadis

Maria Theresia von Paradis (1759-1824), was an Austrian musician and composer who lost her sight at an

early age, and for whom Mozart may have written his Piano Concerto No. 18 in B-flat major. A Sicilienne is a

lilting dance in compound time adopted by many Italian composers such as Antonio Vivaldi.

Sixth Form & Gcse Virtual ChoirMiserere

Gregorio Allegri

Yasmin Sanhu - PianoFur Elise

Ludwig van Beethoven

Alice Pearson - ClarinetHinSong for Nigel Hinson

Paul Harvey

Fur Elise – or the Bagatelle No.24 in A minor, as it is more formally known – is one of Ludwig van Beethoven’s

most popular and well-known compositions, despite the fact it was not discovered or published until 1847;

40 years after the composer’s death. Scholars and researchers have since pondered over the true identify

of “Elise”, narrowing this down to three possible young women: Therese Malfatti, Elisabeth Rockel and Elise

Barensfeld, all of whom were either pupils or love interests of Beethoven’ during his life.

Paul Harvey was born in Stoke-on-Trent and studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music. He went on

to become a composer and a concert pianist, appearing on the BBC Home Service in 1964, but decided to

become a music teacher shortly before his eldest son Nick was born. Paul touched the nation late in 2020;

as a sufferer of dementia, he inspired the country with an improvised piano composition which went viral.

This work for clarinet and piano was composed for the Nottingham-based clarinettist Nigel Hinson.

Sophie Balzhyk - PianoOcean’s EmotionsSophie Balzhyk

Sophie is a Year 9 pupil at seniors who loves to compose.

Ocean’s Emotions is her own composition written for solo piano.

Using the words of psalm 50, the text of the Miserere is penitential in tone, meaning ‘Have mercy on me’. In

broadcasts across the world, this motet is most typically sung on Ash Wednesday at the beginning of Lent,

and during Holy Week, most often on Good Friday. The most famous setting of these words was composed

in approximately 1638 by the Italian Baroque composer, Gregorio Allegri.

Such is the fame of this motet, it is known simply as ‘the Allegri’. Its worldwide reputation owes to both its

virtuosic, stratospheric top top C for soprano, as well as its complex history. Originally, it would have been

sung in complete darkness in the Papal Chapel as the Pope and Cardinals knelt before the altar. Allegri’s

composition was so highly regarded by the Vatican that the original manuscript was forbidden from

leaving the Papal Chapel. However, it was believed by some, that almost 150 years later, Mozart was the

first to break this rule when, upon hearing it, he was said to have transcribed the piece from memory on to

manuscript paper, and thus the motet became available more widely. This claim has been largely refuted by

scholars, but the motet remains one of the most treasured pieces of choral music across the world today. In

its original form, it also appears in the sound track of several films, including ‘Chariots of Fire’, as well as ‘The

Two Popes’ but such is its wide appeal that it has even been adapted for more recent musical genres with

drum beats and loops.

Translation: Have mercy on me, O God, after thy great goodness. According to the multitude of thy mercies, do away mine offences. Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness and cleanse me from my sin.

A Gaelic BlessingJohn Rutter

Fiona O’Sullivan - CelloParita from Suite no. 2

J.S Bach

J.S Bach composed 6 suites in total for unaccompanied cello throughout his lifetime and they remain

some of the most frequently performed and recognisable solo compositions for the instrument. Each

suite consists of six smaller movements: a prelude, followed by five movements styled on various baroque

dances. This prelude from Suite No.2 in D minor (a key usually associated with tragedy, loss and strength) is

a particularly emotional work by Bach, evident even from its opening three notes.

The English Choral composer John Rutter composed this sublime setting of the words ‘The Lord bless you

and keep you’ in 1981, using words from Numbers 6:24-26. Written for the memorial service of Edward

Chapman, Director of Music at Highgate School, this biblical benediction is followed by an extended Amen

as the music reaches its beautiful climax.

Cara Bowyer-Nottle - ViolinTheme

Gustav Mahler

Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was a prolific Austro-German composer from the romantic period, whose orchestral

works are considered to some of the greatest and most epic in the Western canon. This short and melancholic little

theme is taken from the third movement of Mahler’s Symphony no.1 and is currently on the

ABRSM Grade 2 Violin syllabus.

Zoë Jeremy - VocalsNot A Day Goes By

Stephen Sondheim

Rosie Sherpa - PianoCarousel Waltz

Arr. Stephen Hough

Virtual ChoirSee You Again

Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth

Rosie Sherpa - ViolinViolin Sonata in C major

III. LargoIV. Allegro Assai

J.S Bach

The third and last of the Violin Sonatas (BWV1005) by J.S Bach is in the bright key of C major and consists

of four movements: Adagio, Fuga, Largo and Allegro Assai. As always, Bach stretches the technical prowess of

the violinist in every movement. We will, however, start with the third movement, Largo, with its lyrical and

serene melody providing both expressive contrast and necessary relief from the imposing, concentrated

and technically challenging content of the Fuga which preceded it. We will then hear the conclusive fourth

movement of the sonata: the spirited and brilliantly coloured Allegro assai in which Bach, once more, leads

the performer and his instrument towards the limits of possibility.

Olivia Bennett - FluteDanse de la ChèvreArthur Honegger

Danse de la chèvre (French for Dance of the Goat) was written in 1921 as incidental music for dancer Lysana

of Sacha Derek’s play La mauvaise pensée. At the start of the piece, there is a slow dreamlike introduction

consisting of tritone phrases. This soon unwinds into the “goat-like” theme in a chromatically altered

F major in 9/8 that skips along, providing the picture of a dancing goat. Following this theme is a more

melodic theme or idea that gives off a more calming feeling. The goat theme and the calm theme both

reoccur once again, and at the end of the piece the slow dreamlike idea returns and closes off the piece

with a soft and quiet harmonic C for resolution. This challenging work will be performed by Year 13 Music

Scholar Olivia Bennett, which she is also performing as part of her ABRSM Diploma in Flute.

One of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theatre, Sondheim has been praised for having

reinvented the American musical with shows that tackle unexpected themes ranging far beyond traditional

subjects with music and lyrics of unprecedented complexity and sophistication. His shows have been

acclaimed for addressing darker, more harrowing elements of the human experience, with songs often

tinged with ambivalence about various aspects of life.

Not a Day Goes By comes from the musical Merrily We Roll Along (1981) and contains all the hallmarks of

Sondheim’s style with its harmonic, rhythmic and melodic complexity.

Stephen Hough is widely regarded as one of the most important and distinctive pianists of his generation.

In addition to his international acclaim as a performer, Hough also enjoys transcribing the works of other

composers into virtuosic showpieces for the piano, such as this Carousel Waltz from the 1945 musical

Carousel by Rodgers and Hammerstein. Hough’s arrangement has been lauded as a ‘giddy romp’ and a ‘tour

de force’ which ‘captures the delicate and the tough’.

See You Again is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa, featuring American singer Charlie Puth. The track

was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2015 action film Furious 7 as a tribute to actor Paul Walker.

This performance is delivered by our Senior Choir, with solo rapping from Year 8 pupil Poppy Besterman.

Imogen Hollins - VocalsDu Bist Di Ruh

Franz Schubert

Du bist die Ruh (You are rest and peace) is a Lied composed by Franz Schubert (1797–1828) in 1823. The

text is from a set of poems by the German poet Friedrich Rückert (1788–1866). It is the third poem in a set

of four. This song is set for solo voice and piano. The simplicity of the melody makes this piece that much

more difficult to sing as it requires perfect legato and breath control. Any inconsistencies in the sound

can disrupt the ‘peace’ of the poem. Schubert sets tender and gentle themes to Rückert’s words, and the

simplicity of the piano line further enhances the meaning of the song.

Virtual ChorYou’ll Never Walk Alone

FluteLottie Barraclough

Milly GreenAmy RushworthOlivia Bennett

Natalie Sheldon da SilvaElsie Anton-Stephens

ClarinetDarcy DuhraChris Bunn

Emma SnelsonTess Inpong-Pirard

ViolinAbigail Kulmeka

Evie PriceRosie SherpaFreya Evans

ViolaFrancesca Hartland

CelloFiona O’SullivanGraham Carter

Lauren MatthewsJane Magee

GuitarSimon Cresswell

TrumpetWendy Jones

Chris BunnFrancia Besterman

Alexandra Sheldon da Silva

SaxophoneLucy Antelo

Serena FordeEvie Mowatt

Karen Lu

Keira Beard, Martha Hearne, Zoë Jeremy, Harriet Ballantyne , Sarah Lee, Poppy Besterman, Franica Besterman,

Lucy Humphreys, Imogen Hollins, Libby Driscoll, Willow Dowd,Keira Tabudji Simo, Nayella Tabudji Simo, Anastasia King,

Yasmin Sandhu, Madeline Anderson, Kitty Littlar,Anastasia Roach

Many thanks to all pupils at prep and seniors who also took part in our virtual choir performance during their Music lessons

with Mr Bunn and Mr Deakin.

Baritone SaxophoneMaria MacKenzie

EnsemblesSenior Strings

Violins

Rosie Sherpa Kitty Littlar

Lottie MeyerAmy Rushworth

Phoebe Pryce-BoutwoodD’arcy Lee

Abigail Kulemeka

Viola

Francesca Hartland

Cello

Fiona O’SullivanLauren Matthews

Megan Davis

Senior Choir

Year 10 Francia Besterman

Year 8Keira Beard

Anastasia King Faye Pritchard

Poppy BestermanEvie Dixon

Evie MowattMartha Hearne

Year 7Keira Tabudji Simo

Nayella Tabudji SimoIsabel LambahJuliet Gibbon

Evie Price

Sixth Form ChoirLibby Driscoll, Imogen Hollins, Lucy Humphreys,

Zoë Jeremy, Kitty Littlar

DrumsIsla Spencer

Singers

Head Chorister Ensemble

Head ChoristerWillow Dowd

DeputyImogen Hollins

ChoristersLucy Humphreys

Kitty LittlarLibby Driscoll

Sixth Form Choir

Lily Atkin, Zoë Jeremy, Kitty Littlar, Emma Sheppard, Lucy ReesAnastasia Roach, Libby Driscoll, Madeline AndersonCharlotte Colman, Lottie Edwards, Lucy Humphreys,

Imogen Hollins, Willow Dowd

www.shrewsburyhigh.gdst.net

Independent Day SchoolGirls aged 3-18 Boys 3-13_____________________

01743 494000enquiries@shr.gdst.net32 Town Walls, Shrewsbury, SY1 1TN

Special Thanks

Thank you to all pupils, parents and peripatetic staff for making tonight such a special occasion.

Follow us on Instagram @shrewsburyhighschoolmusic

Follow us on Facebook Shrewsbury High School

Follow us on Twitter @ShrewsburyHigh