As another academic year draws to a close, it gives me great pleasure to reflect on the huge amount of music making that goes on at College. Our mission statement is a simple one: the Music Department aims to accommodate all musical interests and abilities and widen the experience of music for all. Musical life is rich and varied, and all genres and styles are celebrated.

The reality is an extremely busy faculty: this year over 70 performances took place in venues both at home and within Cheltenham. Twenty different ensembles rehearsed regularly and around 200 pupils were actively involved in the Music co-curriculum every week. Up to 300 individual music lessons were delivered each week by our team of 30 visiting Music teachers. Suffice to say, Music at College is in an incredibly strong place!

The first high-profile event took place at the start of October: the annual Fraser Graham Piano Competition saw pianists from every year group compete in junior, intermediate, and advanced classes. Congratulations to Hattie Robinson, Felix Warr, and Stepan Ruzencevs for winning their respective classes. This was swiftly followed by the first Choral Evensong of the year, sung by the College Choir and attended by numerous members of the public.

Next up was House Singing, as spirited as ever, with Houses performing songs which (mostly) fit the theme of ‘songs with place names in their titles’. Adjudicated by OC Oliver Vincent (BH, 2003 and past staff), the clear winner was Westal with ‘California Gurls’ by Katy Perry.

The poignant Remembrance Sunday service was held the day after, with the College Choir singing the traditional setting of Binyon’s ‘For The Fallen’ by Douglas Guest and the Chamber Choir singing Rebecca Dale’s moving ‘In Paradisum: If I Should Go’.

The flagship event of the term came in the form of the College Concert, which involved all of the larger ensembles performing a variety of repertoire, with a symphonic theme shared between the Wind Band, Chamber Orchestra, and Symphony Orchestra. The College Choir joined the Symphony Orchestra for a powerful performance of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, and the sell-out audience were invited to join in with Elgar’s ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ at the end.

A week later, the choirs were in force leading the College Carol Service, accompanied by the College Brass, and the Chamber Choir sang for the Cheltonian Society Carol Service. The ever-popular Christmas Eve Carol Service saw plenty of OC singers return to the choir stalls for traditional carols and choral favourites.

The Spring Term began with a masterclass and performance by Leora Cohen and Paul Wingfield, who was recently a member of the College Council. Pupils busied themselves in preparation for the Upper College Cabaret, which was held in Big C. A firm fixture in the College calendar, this black tie event saw performances from JIG, Collegi8, String T’ing, and the U6 rock band, punctuated by solos and duets. We then held the inaugural Battle of the Bands, which saw established College ensembles including JIG, Jazz Band, and 3CATT perform alongside new pupil bands. Just before the second exeat, we held the GCSE & A Level Performance Evening in Big C; another black-tie event to celebrate the performance work of exam candidates this year, which concluded with Dominykas Drungilas’s jazz trio P-L-UK giving a fantastic rendition of Red Garland’s version of ‘My Romance’.

The College Concert in the last week of term saw the larger ensembles subscribing to the shared theme of ‘musicals’, with numerous styles explored within this: jazz, opera, and pop to name a few. The College Choir collaborated with the Wind Band for two items, and the Chamber Choir gave an uplifting performance of ‘You Will Be Found’ from Dear Evan Hansen, accompanied by strings and band (see it on our Insta!). The Symphony Orchestra finished the concert with music from West Side Story, Phantom Of The Opera, and Frozen.

We hit the ground running in the Summer Term with the biennial ‘Big Sing’ event in Cheltenham Town Hall, organised by the Music Department at The Prep. Thirty College pupils and staff joined hundreds of others for a sell-out (and multicoloured) performance of Freedom: The Power of Song by Alexander L’Estrange. Later that week we held the Fifth and Sixth Form Singing Competition in Big C, adjudicated by West End singer Jodie Nolan. Congratulations to winners Dominykas Drungilas (Classical), Finn Cutts (Musical Theatre), and Daisy McCormick (Pop) for their superb performances amongst a very high standard of singing. JIG returned to Cheltenham Jazz Festival drawing a huge crowd of afficionados as part of the ‘Jazz It Up’ series. Special mention goes to Henry Green for his incredible trumpet solo in ‘Spain’. As exeat came to a close, the Upper Sixth came together for their final performances in the Upper Sixth Showcase concert, attended by parents, grandparents, and friends.

The College Choir shone in the Speech Day service, singing ‘I was Glad’ by Parry accompanied by the College Brass, and JIG entertained the crowds as they arrived for the speeches and prizegiving. There was no sense of things winding down after half term. We held the inaugural Third and Fourth Form Singing Competition, adjudicated by Mr Richard Coxon (Head of Vocal Studies).

Congratulations to winners Wangari Njaga (Classical), Hugh Norbury (Musical Theatre), and Tensie Littlewood (Pop).

The College community braved the weather for the brilliant CCFM (Cheltenham College Festival of Music), which was held on College Field on the penultimate weekend of term. This featured all of our popular music ensembles alongside soloists. Shortly after this, Lower Sixth musicians performed fantastically in the Pittville Pump Room to an entirely external audience, topped off with sparkling playing from String T’ing. If this wasn’t enough, Fourth Form Music Award Holders serenaded Cheltenham town centre as buskers in the final week of term!

The constraints of space only allow for a quick recap of what has been a phenomenal year of music making at College. The music speaks for itself though, and most of it has been captured on our social media accounts.

Mr Shaun Pirttijarvi