Review: Great display of talent at Kenilworth School's Christmas Concert

New school, new concert additions! This year’s Christmas concert brought a host of talent together in the sparkling white main hall at Kenilworth’s new school and sixth form complex. David Pugh, Head of Music, engineered this year’s spectacle with considerable help from teachers and mentors. Whether working with the Brass Ensemble, coaching soloists or directing the Concert

Band, they managed to create an ambiance where support for colleague performers was paramount. Sound engineers had important roles to play, percussion players carefully switched places to ensure Sleigh Ride with the Concert Band achieved all the expected sound effects and the new initiative of the Sixth Form Singers produced the telling words of the night... “feed the world, let them know its Christmas time again” from the Bob Geldorf and Midge Ure composition.

Cornet player, Elena Smith produced some sparkling playing in Stop the Cavalry as the Brass Ensemble launched the event. Pianist Harry Evans’ playing of Rachmaninov’s Prelude in C sharp minor was an early indication of individual talent at the school; Wilson Yip, too, singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas showed potential for a career in the music industry should he choose that route! Another voice, with a bright future, singing Errol Garner’s hit Misty, was that of Sanjana Ramabhadran. All would probably be happy to change the electric piano for a concert grand piano; an acquisition the school should now consider!

Coping capably with pace changes was instrumental in ensuring the String Ensemble’s rendition of Music from La La Land completed their set on a high.

So too, the Concert Band, with their wide selection of brass intruments and their active percussion section (with a xylophone or was it a small marimba?) brought the concert to an exciting climax.

We can be sure there is much more to come from this pooling of talent and resources at Kenilworth’s new complex.

By Clive Peacock

December 20, 2023