Halle St Peter’s resounded with outstanding performances given by over 80 Loreto students in seven different choirs, ensembles and solos on Friday evening last week. The amazing venue was packed with proud parents, grandparents and friends.   It was a night of exceptional musicality and quality, reflecting the skills and talents of not just our many music students but also those studying a diverse range of subjects in both upper and lower sixth. These young musicians obviously enjoyed the opportunity to play in an historic hall as well as putting the distinctive acoustic and Steinway and Schimmel pianos to brilliant use. All this was brought together by a high calibre team of peripatetic specialists and our energetic and inspirational Music Department staff.

New in the programme leaflet were profiles of the eleven soloists, enabling guests to see a little of the world of these students and adding a real touch of professionalism to the event. Soloists charmed the audience with their assured performances of, to pick just two, Waltz from Cinderalla (Prokofiev) from Jay Carroll on the piano, and Impromptu (Roussel) on the harp from Sarah Spencer, both of whom have places at Oxford to study Music next year.

It was particularly delightful to see students accompanying each other – surely a sign of not only maturity but also the collaborative spirit encouraged at Loreto. An interesting mix of vocal and guitar solo (Josey Marina) with backing from an ensemble went down particularly well.   The Loreto Pop and Chamber Choirs gave convincing performances in a variety of genres and these too delighted the audience. The students’ ability to listen to each other was perhaps most evident in the Gurlitt Serenade for eight hands on two grand pianos. Many students showed multiple talents through participation in a range of ensembles throughout the event.

The evening began with an impressive performance by the Percussion Ensemble and finished with contributions from the Orchestra. This year’s St Cecelia Concerto Competition Winner, Megan Auld, demonstrated confident and sensitive violin solo work in Summer (Four Seasons, Vivaldi) and her remarkable performance brought the house down.

Congratulations to our wonderful musicians and thank you for a wonderful evening of fantastic music!   Principal Ann Clynch thanked all those who took part and commended them for bringing so much pleasure to the audience and wished them well in their future studies.

Don’t miss future performances by Loreto musicians; The Chamber Choir will be performing as part of the OneEducation Showcase on 6^th July, and there will be a Loreto Jazz Night at Band on the Wall on 10^th July.