The Joint Autumn Concert brought together musicians from the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions for an evening of entertainment across Bolton School’s two Great Halls. The programme featured a mix of joint music ensembles, separate Boys’ and Girls’ Division groups, and solo performances.
The evening began in the Girls’ Division Great Hall with two Classical pieces performed by the Senior Orchestra: Capriccio Espagna by Rimsky-Korsakov and Symphony No. 8 Mvt. 1 by Schuber. This joint opening was followed by a focus on Girls’ Division performers. The Girls’ Division Lower School Choir sang Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ and piano soloist Bing Yu Wang played ‘Rêverie’ by Debussy.
Returning to joint fare, the String Quartet (Harry Adams, Haylie Tsang, Uma Patel and Matthew Yeung) gave a captivating performance of ‘Nimrod’ from the Enigma Variations by Edward Elgar, and the Jazz Ensemble played ‘Children of Sanchez’ by C. Mangione, with many performers taking their moment in the spotlight during this piece.
The second solo of the first half was Amy Heaton on cornet, performing ‘The Sunshine of Your Smile’ by Lilian Ray. The Girls’ Division Senior Choir rounded off the first half of the evening with a performance of ‘Spirit’ by T. McKenzie, I. Salmanzadeh and B. Knowles.
The audience enjoyed interval refreshments provided by the Boys’ and Girls’ Division Parents’ Associations in the Riley Centre before moving to the Boys’ Division Great Hall for the second half of the Autumn Concert.
The Senior Concert Band continued the programme with two pieces: ‘Hyper Drive’ by R. Ford and ‘To Dance Among the Stars’ by B. Balmages. Next, Boys’ Division performers took to the stage: pianist Priyesh Fernando played the solo piece ‘Jingo’ by C. Norton, and the Boys’ Division Lower School Choir sang ‘A Million Dreams’ from The Greatest Showman (by B. Pasek and J. Paul).
The joint String Ensemble were next to play, giving a performance of ABBA’s ‘Mamma Mia’, followed by two pieces by the Joint Tuned Percussion Ensemble: ‘Mas Que Nada’ by J. Ben and ‘Moondance’ by V. Morrison, both arranged by Mr Ian Forgrieve, Foundation Director of Instrumental Music.
The final solo of the evening was from James Bland: he performed Oboe Sonata Op. 116, 2nd Movement by Saint-Seans. Finally, the Chamber Choir brought the Autumn Concert to a close with two songs: ‘Autumn Leaves’ by J. Kosma and ‘Take Me Home’ by K. Olusola, K. Maldonado and A. Mae.
The Autumn ‘Hall Crawl’ Concert was once again a very enjoyable and varied evening for all those who attended, and showcased the talent and skill of musicians across the Boys’ and Girls’ Divisions.
View a gallery of photos from the Autumn Concert 2023 below:
