This is always a special evening in the music calendar as it is an opportunity for our leaving Year 13 musicians to give a final solo performance on the Arundel Centre stage. It also provides an opportunity for our Year 12 A level students to perform for their end of year examination, so we started the evening with Eliza C singing ‘What baking can do’ accompanying herself on the piano. Far from being half baked, Eliza sang with great feeling and expression - as did Georgie G in her excellent rendition of ‘Pulled’. Hannah D certainly ‘brought it on’ with her excellent and stylish performance of ‘One perfect moment’.

Evie M’s ‘Warwick Avenue’ was superb, displaying amazing vocal control and again a stylish delivery. Natalia B showed her great technical prowess on the violin in a beautiful and delicate performance of Ravel’s ‘Piéce en forme de Habanera’. There was so much poise and delicacy also in Katherine S’ playing of Alkin’s ‘Les regrets de la nonette’ on the piano, followed by Katherine R’s beautiful tone on the bassoon in Milde’s Romanze. It was a joy to have Mr M accompany his daughter Tessie M on the Double Bass in this excellent performance of Eccle’s Largo from his Sonata in G minor.

Eliza really captured the dreamy impressionistic mood of Caplet’s Reverie on the flute and Yanna then sparkled with an exciting rendition of C C White’s Levee Dance on the violin. Our next performer first played her piece at Channing in her scholarship audition whilst in Year 6, so Emily B played the famous Sicilienne by Fauré with great maturity! Leili A gave a mesmerising performance of that classic ‘Losing my mind’ with real characterful singing. Sophie S and Imani M-R gave a lovely duet performance of Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ followed by Anushka D’s astonishingly brilliant performance of ‘Astonishing’ from ‘Little Women’.

The evening closed with Ruby D’s final solo performance at Channing and again one that she sang as a young Year 7 - ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’ - as we would expect, it was a stunning and emotional performance. Our leaving Year 13s have given us so many wonderful performances as soloists and in ensembles over the years and we will miss them - but tonight was a wonderful ‘goodbye’ concert and a real celebration of their musical achievements. Do watch the concert HERE.