A night to remember: Dancers and musicians dazzle in Gala Concert

The gala concert on Friday night was a fantastic collaboration across the Performing Arts, with the school’s dancers and musicians coming together to offer a spectacular performance to a packed audience in the Alington Hall.

The evening began with Prokofiev’s ‘Suite No.2 from Romeo and Juliet’. First written in 1935, the ballet became one of the most popular and frequently performed productions of the twentieth century. The eight movements included in Suite No.2 offer both high drama and moments of tender lyricism. The piece showcased extraordinary solo performances from many in the Symphony Orchestra, including Benedict F (O, V), Hazel C (MSH, IV), Bob L (S, LVI), Samantha Y (QEH, V) and Ranen C (I, V), and was danced by students from the Beginner and Advanced Ballet classes. Kazuha O (G, III), as Young Juliet, gave a beautifully expressive performance, combining impressive technique with heartfelt musicality.

The orchestra then turned to Tchaikovsky – perhaps the most famous composer for dance – not for one of his many ballet suites, but for his glorious symphony No.5. The piece begins with a soulful melody from the French horn, beautifully played by Shawn L (S, V). As the theme passed from one section of the orchestra to the next, it was possible to appreciate the extraordinary strength in depth of the current crop of Salopian musicians.

As the String Orchestra took to the stage, Lydia C (QEH, IV) undertook a lightening change from leading the Symphony Orchestra to contemporary dance, in keeping with the fine tradition of Salopian multi-tasking! The next piece was a beautiful arrangement of the Bridgerton soundtrack, created by Ranen C, who has impressed as a composer as well as a musician throughout the year.

The second half began with one of the most famous extracts from contemporary film music: the iconic ‘Time’ by Hans Zimmer. This had also been arranged for Symphony Orchestra by one of our students – Chit S (R, IV) of Rigg’s Hall. Bethan R (EDH, R) gave a breathtaking self-choreographed performance, which showcased both her extraordinary athleticism and emotional intensity.

She too then underwent a rapid transformation, appearing on the trumpet desk for ‘Riverdance’, performed with great energy and enthusiasm by the Concert Band under the baton of our new Deputy Director of Music, Chris Potts. This charming toe-tapping piece was danced by Anny M (G, IV), Mia Z (QEH, IV), Sophia W (G, IV) and Sophia X (G, IV).

The finale of the evening was Bernstein’s ‘Symphonic Dances’ from ‘West Side Story’ – perhaps some of the most fiendishly difficult music ever written for Wind Orchestra. Performed as one continuous arrangement, the piece explores musical motifs from different songs, including ‘Somewhere’, ‘Mambo’ and ‘Rumble’. Mrs Stanhope’s brilliant choreography enabled the dancers to tell the story of the show through movement. Particular congratulations should go to Will O’H (Ch, LVI) and Cordelia H (MSH, LVI), who made a touchingly romantic Tony and Maria.

Thank you to Maria McKenzie, Chris Potts, Almaz Razif, Katy Landon, Sian Stanhope, Olivia Newton and all those in the Music and Dance departments for such a thrilling evening; I hope it is the first of many such collaborations. 

Dr Helen Brown

Deputy Head (Co-curricular) 

You can watch the concert here: