The curtain raiser for this year’s Abbey Festival was a concert given by the School’s Chamber Orchestra and some Ensembles which recently reached the semi finals of the National Pro Corda Chamber Music Competition.  The programme featured solos by Oliver Longland and Edward Hughes in Bach’s Double Concerto and, as both pupils will be leaving Sherborne in July, this concert also acted as something of a swan song.  The programme was as follows:

Chamber Orchestra Concerto for Oboe and Violin in C minor,    Bach BWV1060, 1st Movt.
Oboe – Edward Hughes     Violin – Oliver Longland

Tarantella       Saint-Saëns
Flute – Peter Day-Banks, Clarinet – Christopher Potts, Piano – Edward Hughes

Fancies, Toyes and Dreams     Farnaby
Trumpets – Henry Ritchie & Max Radford, Horn – Toby Mackean, Trombone – Jack Lewis, Tuba – Pro Kongpatpanich

Pastorale et Arlequinade     Goossens
Oboe – Edward Hughes, Flute – George Chattey, Piano – Oliver Longland

Chamber Orchestra:
Hugh Barnard, Henry Chadwick, James Craw, Harry Fielder, Edward Fricker, Jasper Gowan, Alistair Hughes, David Leach, James Lello, Alexander May, Jamie Snudden, Justin Tong, Alexander White, Hong Shing Wong

On the Saturday morning, the Sherborne Close Harmony Group gave a Recital of light music to a very full Abbey at 10.30 am.  Now in its fifth year, Sherborne Close Harmony has developed something of a reputation in the Town for fine quality barber singing.  The programme included a number of Beatles favourites, some songs from Robbie Williams’ Swing When You’re Winning and traditional numbers “Heavenly” and “Coney Island Baby”.

Sherborne School’s final contribution to the Abbey Festival was a concert given by The Swing and Jazz Bands at Castleton Church at 4.30 pm on Tuesday, 5th May.  The church was absolutely packed with an audience who visibly felt restrained by the pews and would have preferred to dance in the aisles to the sounds of Gershwin’s “O Lady be good” and “S’Wonderful”, Glenn Miller’s “Pennsylvania 6-5000”, Ingle’s “Too much stuff” and Miles Davis’ “So what”.  Many of the audience stayed behind to thank the pupils for their magnificent playing.

James Henderson, Director of Music, said, “It is a great privilege for the School to be invited to participate so fully in the magnificent Abbey Festival which includes some eminent groups such as The Sixteen.  The partnership with the Abbey is a strong one and the School is very proud of its association with the Festival.”