A Festival of Brass and Song: Celebrating Musical Excellence at Shrewsbury

On Sunday we had the pleasure of welcoming Katie Jones, principal trombonist of the Hallé Orchestra, to school for our annual Brass Festival.

Katie opened the day with an energising warm‑up session focused on breathing techniques and developing a strong embouchure. This immediately engaged all the brass players and set a positive, focused tone for the day.

Students then moved into chamber ensembles, where they were given just over an hour to prepare a piece of music for the afternoon concert. Working in this kind of setting demands careful listening and an awareness of how each part fits into the whole. The performances were genuinely impressive, especially considering the limited rehearsal time available.

The day concluded with a masterclass for the more advanced players. Katie explored topics such as connecting with an audience, managing performance nerves, and paying closer attention to the stylistic features and character of each piece. Every student made noticeable progress in a remarkably short time, and Katie left them with plenty of ideas and techniques to continue developing.

It was an inspiring and enriching day for all involved, and we are grateful to Katie for sharing her expertise and enthusiasm with our students.

Results:

Musical Leadership - William O'H

Chamber Music Prize - Alexander P

Musical Awareness - Yuzuaki M

Overall Soloist - Shawn L

Singing Festival - 

On Sunday we were joined by baritone James Newby who led a fun and engaging vocal workshop before adjudicating our annual song prize. Students sang in either intermediate or senior categories, with a completely free choice of repertoire to best showcase their individual strengths. The afternoon therefore ranged from seventeenth century lute songs to contemporary  chart hits, and with especially strong performances of classical art song. James Newby was hugely impressed with the number of accomplished singers taking part in the afternoon, and with their confident and expressive presentation.

The results were as follows: (HC - Highly commended)

Senior

Classical

1 Toby H

2 Clara McA

3 Ben F

HC Con W

HC Marie P

Commercial, Contemporary and Musical Theatre

1 Will O’H

2 Freya C

3 Reggie B

HC Tilly C

HC April H

Intermediate

Classical

1 Harrison R

2 Monty P

3 Bertie S

HC Annabel F

Commercial, Contemporary and Musical Theatre

1 Grace G

2 Georgie P

3 Clara C-J

HC Boe G

HC Will L

Director of Music, Maria McKenzie