An Evening of Concertos
Thursday 9th May saw our annual ‘Evening of Concertos’, a concert celebrating some of the very best solo performances that Wells has to offer.
Five soloists had been chosen through an exhaustive process to give performances of their chosen concerto in front of a packed crowd in Cedars Hall, including their peers, teachers, family and the general public. From the lyricism of Weber’s Bassoon Concerto (played by Elizabeth, Lower Sixth) to the fireworks of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (Aniela, Lower Sixth) to the Danish wit of Nielsen’s Flute Concerto (Natalie, Year 11) and Grondahl’s Trombone Concerto (Morgan, Year 11), to the despairing depths of Shostakovitch’s Cello Concerto No. 1 (Harry, Lower Sixth), we were taken into the different worlds of these pieces and of these amazing performers’ characters.
Special guest Stephen Maddock, former CEO of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and now Principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, had the unenviable task of choosing the winning performer to perform a concerto with the School Symphony Orchestra next year. All polished to a professional level and beyond, it was very difficult to decide between such different performances, but Elizabeth won out with her flawlessly expressive and characterful performance of the Weber Bassoon Concerto.
It was awe-inspiring to see these astounding musicians, with no hint of competitive animosity, support each other with some of the most challenging repertoire there is and to see their friends all out in support of them. Congratulations to all five of them!
To learn more about Specialist Music at Wells, click here.
Five soloists had been chosen through an exhaustive process to give performances of their chosen concerto in front of a packed crowd in Cedars Hall, including their peers, teachers, family and the general public. From the lyricism of Weber’s Bassoon Concerto (played by Elizabeth, Lower Sixth) to the fireworks of Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto (Aniela, Lower Sixth) to the Danish wit of Nielsen’s Flute Concerto (Natalie, Year 11) and Grondahl’s Trombone Concerto (Morgan, Year 11), to the despairing depths of Shostakovitch’s Cello Concerto No. 1 (Harry, Lower Sixth), we were taken into the different worlds of these pieces and of these amazing performers’ characters.
Special guest Stephen Maddock, former CEO of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and now Principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, had the unenviable task of choosing the winning performer to perform a concerto with the School Symphony Orchestra next year. All polished to a professional level and beyond, it was very difficult to decide between such different performances, but Elizabeth won out with her flawlessly expressive and characterful performance of the Weber Bassoon Concerto.
It was awe-inspiring to see these astounding musicians, with no hint of competitive animosity, support each other with some of the most challenging repertoire there is and to see their friends all out in support of them. Congratulations to all five of them!
To learn more about Specialist Music at Wells, click here.
