Pupils, parents and teachers were delighted to be back in the Great Hall of Bolton School Girls’ Division to celebrate the traditional May Serenade after, last year, the event was live-streamed and in 2020 it did not take place at all. The event, as ever, was a last chance to offer a fond farewell to Y13 musicians as they performed in their last school concert.
The School’s Senior Orchestra opened the evening with flawless renditions of The Barber of Seville Overture and Themes from Scheherazade. They were followed by the exquisite piano-playing of Y13 student Marie Poon who performed Faure’s Nocturne No 3 in A Flat Major, Op 33 No 3.
The Middle School Choir offered the first serenade of the evening, singing Schwartz’s One Short Day before Y13 students Summer Kay and Feryal Mirza performed a wind duet of Mozart’s Symphony No 40 1st Movement. The Senior Choir took to the stage with their rendition of the title tune Hamilton from the American musical and a vocal trio offered a bewitching At the Ballet by Hamlisch.
The School’s Tuned Percussion Ensemble upped the tempo of the evening with A La Samba, ahead of Emily Bowden from Y9 playing Arnold’s Fantasy for Clarinet and The Accidentals’ delightful singing of The Beatles’ Blackbird and Someday by Menken and Schwartz. Two A level students, Marie Poon and Eli Collins, delivered a captivating rendition of Marie’s own creation called You are a Masterpiece and there was a very impressive drum duet between Millie Ashton and Mr Forgrieve before the Chamber Choir closed out the evening with haunting versions of Bruckner’s Virga Jesse and Brown’s Hear My Song.
Awards were also made on the evening to the School's Music Festival prize winners, Emily Bowden for Most Promising Musician and Marie Poon took away the Carter Cup for Outstanding Musician.
You can watch the entire performance online.
