Music at Lunchtime – Friday 6th December

First up, for our final lunchtime concert of the autumn term, we were treated to a performance of ‘Suo-Gan’, a traditional Welsh lullaby, and Tango from Suite Latinesque, played by the wonderful Cremona Strings led by Miss Sophie Bircumnshaw. Their playing as a group was perfectly balanced: Suo-Gan was sweet and beautifully performed, whereas the Tango, by contrast, was exciting and dynamic.

Next, we had the fabulous Clarinet Crew, led by Mrs. Vicky Wright, who brought some festive spirit to Channing with ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’. They also performed ‘I’m Gonna Be’ by The Proclaimers—a familiar and undeniably fun tune that worked perfectly for an ensemble of clarinets! The dialogue between the upper and lower clarinets in ‘I’m Gonna Be’ was amazing, and ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ put a smile on everyone’s face.

After that, we were treated to a GCSE ensemble consisting of Alexa LB in 11RMn and Imogen B in 10MG on the violin, Maika PY in 12SF on the viola, and Sophie L in 13SD on the cello. Following an exciting start where Sophie’s A string pinged off her cello, the group took it in stride and played ‘Adagio’ from Quartet No. 3 in G by Mozart flawlessly, communicating wordlessly and demonstrating amazing musical awareness.

Finally, music-at-lunchtime regular Mei-Xing LC in 12EH treated us to an emotional rendition of ‘Carry Me Home’ by Jorja Smith, singing and accompanying herself on the guitar. Her beautiful, clear tone complemented the song perfectly, and her incredible stage presence left the audience transfixed, with many of us feeling choked up.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Do listen: