Abingdon News No. 60

14 April 2022 Abingdon Music It has been terrific to hear music during lunchtimes once again this term! The Lower School musicians had their termly opportunity to play in front of their peers in the first half of term. After a great opening performance from Junior Strings, a range of soloists took to the stage with piano, violin, trumpet, guitar, drums and even bagpipes (!) on show. The concert was brought to a rousing conclusion by the Lower School Band with their rendition of the Match of the Day theme tune. This was followed later in the term by clarinet players Stanley Wong, David Hrushovski and Rupert Mathieson who performed some lovely music by Saint-Saëns, Poulenc and Lutoslawski as the Friday lunchtime concerts resumed. Abingdon Lower Sixth Former wins the Oxfordshire Senior Concerto Competition Very many congratulations to Oliver Simpson who has won the Oxfordshire Senior Concerto Competition final in Oxford. The competition, which is part of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra’s ‘Orchestra in Residence’ programme at the University of Oxford, happens every other year and sees talented young musicians compete for the chance to perform as a soloist in a full-length concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. This year’s final saw Abingdon Lower Sixth former, Oliver, perform in a head-to-head with two mature soloists, both undergraduates at Oxford University. Accompanied by the Oxfordshire County Youth Orchestra, Oliver played the final movement of Elgar’s great Cello Concerto with great aplomb. Michael Stinton, Head of Music at Abingdon School, said of the achievement: “This piece requires technical mastery, a grasp of rubato and strong singing melodic lines that can soar above the full orchestra. “Oliver’s performance was commanding and, winning against two fine soloists several years older than him, is a massive achievement which attests to his dedication and hard work, as well as to his talent as a cellist. We are incredibly proud of him.” Oliver will now perform a full concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic as part of the forthcoming concert season. National Chamber Music Competition success Would you like a little music with your lunch? This year, members of three Abingdon ensembles (Under 14 Piano Trio, Ryan Ng, Yubo Gao, Thomas Zhang; Under 15 String Quartet, Sean Hanlon, Wyatt Ip, Lachlan Keene, Thomas Wilson; and Under 16 Flute Trio, Edward Bennett, Humphrey Lee, Dilan Mandalia) progressed through to the semi-finals of the National Pro Corda Chamber Music Festival, with the U14 Piano Trio then securing a place in the finals. Held at Millfield School in March, the finals concert saw the ensemble compete against a great array of musical talent from a number of prominent schools including chamber groups from Brighton College, Sevenoaks, Westminster, Dulwich College, Sherborne and Ipswich. Thomas, Yubo and Ryan were one of five groups in the Under 14s. Their Chamber coach, Miss Stulting, said of their performance: “They played extremely well throughout the whole competition, but their final performance at Millfield was of an exceptional standard. The adjudicators commented on how together they were as a chamber group, but how their soloistic skills shone through at the necessary times. Many congratulations to them.”