Our inaugural Winter Festival was a hugely successful collaboration with young musicians from Cranleigh Abu Dhabi. Twenty-two of their musicians joined our Big Band, Brass Ensemble and String Orchestra for a week of collaborative events and concerts, culminating in a Big Band Supper Dance for the Cranleigh Friends, enjoyed by over 250 parents and guests.
The early part of the week gave the pupils chances to listen to professionals in action; a visit to London to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall was an appetiser to concerts given by our own members of the music department staff.
On Tuesday morning, performances began with principal trumpeter Rafe B. playing a trumpet piece in Assembly to the whole school, and later in the day the younger pupils appearing in a wonderful concert at the Prep School, alongside our own Music Scholars. In the evening, Mr Richard Saxel and Mr David Vaiani gave an illuminating lecture recital linking paintings by Uchello, Renoir, Whistler and Hopper to piano pieces by Schumann, Debussy, Janacek and Poulenc. Mr Vaiani explained the history and context of the artworks, examining each in detail, and highlighting particular themes which were then picked up by Mr Saxel with reference to the music. He then performed each of the piano pieces, with the painting projected above.
On Wednesday, Mr Kevin Weaver (violin), Mr Phillip Scriven (harpsichord) and Dr Andrew Thomas (flute) performed a beautiful programme of Baroque concertos, all of which feature on the current GCSE and A-Level music syllabus, together with a small string ensemble made up of some of our VMTs. They introduced the works in turn, setting the musical and historical context, and then transporting the audience back some 300 years to the Baroque period, with lively and energetic performances in which each concerto soloist showcased their technical and musical skills.
On Thursday, the entire touring party from Abu Dhabi performed a Celebration Concert in the Emms Centre; an event that was live-streamed to the Middle East, and which also included two of our contemporary music bands (The Irregulars and the Magic Flying Dawkins Experience). The breadth of repertoire, musical styles and genre was noticeable, with some stunning solo performances alongside classical chamber music, improvised solos, pupils’ own compositions, Chinese traditional music and extending right into pop songs by Elvis (featuring a wonderful group of backing singers from our own Cranleigh UK pupils), and contemporary music by Stevie Nicks, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin. Each and every item was celebrated equally, with the Abu Dhabi pupils being as fully embraced and supported as our own.The event was compèred by Max von G., whose repertoire of musical one-liners brought a wonderfully light-touch to proceedings!
On Friday, the combined Brass Ensemble accompanied a rousing hymn in Chapel, and then performed as pupils left for lessons, entertaining nearly 700 students. This ensemble was formed at the start of the week, and the seamless integration of pupils from both schools was indicative of all aspects of this trip; from attending academic lessons to moments of downtime between rehearsals where the two groups of pupils made friends, this was a true collaboration in every sense. There were so many moments away from the public spotlight; string players joining our chamber music ensembles and String Orchestra for rehearsals, young singers in the Prep School choirs, the whole group of pupils writing, rehearsing and recording a song for our own Senior School play, playing Fives together, and joining in with Dance Classes and the Chinese New Year celebrations. The bonds between the two music departments are stronger than ever; this was the fifth time in ten years that we have collaborated, and their tour party was led by Mr Joel Robinson, who is now Head of Senior Music at CAD, and was previously Head of Contemporary Music here in the UK. Mr Robinson spoke movingly of how music is a universal language, how he was proud that their tour party consisted of pupils from nineteen different nationalities, and that cultural and artistic collaboration between young people forms incredibly strong bonds between our schools.
On Saturday night, in partnership with the Cranleigh Friends, pupils from both schools came together in an extravaganza of jazz and dance music for the Big Band Supper Dance. The team of parent volunteers from the Cranleigh Friends had transformed the Speech Hall into a glitzy, glamorous venue reminiscent of the golden age of Hollywood, and the thirty-five members of the band produced an exceptional evening of rousing numbers, under the enthusiastic direction of their effervescent leader, Mr Dave Eaglestone. In just a week, they produced nearly two hours of fantastic music, from film themes to jazz standards, rock and roll to gentle ballads, and featuring pupil soloists in most numbers. The lively audience of two hundred and fifty were treated to a champagne reception, exceptional food and wine, and entertainment that brought smiles to everyone’s faces. Party games, and a dance class led by Mrs Laura French and Miss Abbie Harris brought everyone onto the dance floor, and this was simply a great night out for all. Host Mr Richard Saxel took the occasion to mark the contribution of one of our longest-serving music teachers, Mr John Sandford, who has been a stalwart of the Big Band for nearly three decades, and there was a guest appearance by the duo of Mr Joel Robinson and Mr Alexander Douglas, both exceptional professional jazz musicians in their own right. This was a fitting conclusion to a wonderful week of music making, embracing every musical style possible, and showcasing the highest standards of music-making at our family of Cranleigh Schools.
Mr Richard Saxel, Director of Music
