• News
  • 2 December 2022

Autumn Concert

The Autumn Concert took place on Tuesday in the newly refurbished Wyatt Hall. The new raked seating and improved acoustics gave the…

The Autumn Concert took place on Tuesday in the newly refurbished Wyatt Hall. The new raked seating and improved acoustics gave the feel of a real theatre performance. It was the first live Autumn Concert since 2019 and the hall was packed with pupils and parents; there was a tangible buzz in the air!

Choral singing has always been at the heart of music making at Cranleigh and we like to start training the children early. All pupils in Forms 1 & 2 joined together to start the concert as they sang two wonderful little songs. ‘Freezing Fingers’ involved some hilarious audience participation which set the concert off to a positive and exciting start. The singers continued to entertain with the Form 3 Choir’s rendition of a song from ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’, and the Chapel Choir sang ‘We’re All Made of Stars’ by Gary Barlow from the musical ‘Finding Neverland’. Beautiful solos were heard from Josh G, Hettie S and Hetty W. The Lower School Choir got everyone into the Christmas spirit with their heart-warming song ‘It Was On A Starry Night.’ As expected, the Chamber Choir did not disappoint with their polished and professional sound, directed by Mrs Beddison. ‘Music on the Waters’ was wonderfully atmospheric and ‘I Am A Small Part of the World’ featured a beautiful solo by Alfie B.

The String department was well-represented and the audience enjoyed the Junior Orchestra’s version of ‘Silent Night’ as well as the up-beat ‘Just Jazzin’’ which featured some toe-tapping rhythms. Our more advanced string players in the Senior Orchestra played ‘Viva Amadeus’ with vitality and panache, directed by Mr Weaver, Head of Strings.

Both percussion groups were equally impressive. The Junior players performed ‘Creepy Crotchets’ and they perfectly captured the character of the piece. The Senior Percussion Group were slick and professional producing a brilliantly virtuosic performance of Kuku Haha by Visiting Music Teacher, Tom Hollister.

Our smaller ensembles were also well-represented; the Guitar group treated the audience to a rendition of ‘Mission Impossible’ and the Brass Group played a Christmas Medley with so many different tunes that we all stopped counting!

The woodwind and brass players featured in several ensembles from the beginners in Junior Band, playing ‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’ to the full Senior Band who finished the concert playing ‘Cantina Band’ from Star Wars as well as a suitably Christmassy ending with ‘The Polar Express’. 

An enjoyable evening was had by all and Mrs Williams would like to thank all the staff from the Cranleigh Music Team as well as the visiting teachers for all their help and support in putting together such a wonderful concert.

Related News

Visit from Kokah Chocolatiers
18 March 2024 News
Visit from Kokah Chocolatiers
Science Week
15 March 2024 News
Science Week
Best of the Best for Science
13 March 2024 News
Best of the Best for Science