Year 11 Concert – Thursday 8 October 2026

The first GCSE concert of the academic year took place last Thursday 8 October, in the Arundel Centre. Our 21 Year 11 GCSE students performed their solo pieces in front of an appreciative audience, testing their performance skills and sharing their music.

First up was Elene K, who gave an elegant and stylish piano performance of Schubert’s Moments Musicaux, No. 3. Next, it was the turn of Edlyn B on the violin and Zara A on the piano, who performed two characterful pieces by Tailleferre (the first movement of her Sonatine) and Burgmüller (La Tarantella) respectively. Chopin was the choice of our next two students: Zita G played his Waltz in A-flat major, and Lydia O played his Nocturne in E-flat major, both delivering musically and emotionally involved renditions of these popular pieces.

After that, Astrid J treated us to a flawless, song-like performance of Bottesini’s Rêverie on the double bass, and Yasmin L gave a fiery rendition of Nölck’s Hungarian Dance on the violin. Sofia N D (cello) and Juliet K (clarinet) took to the stage next to perform Bridge’s Cradle Song and the first movement of Lefèvre’s Sonata No. 5 respectively.

Next up was Hero K on the piano, who gave a stylish and impassioned performance of Granados’ Andaluza, No. 5 from Danzas españolas. This was followed by Emma L on the bassoon, who played a characterful arrangement of Prokofiev’s ever-popular The Montagues and the Capulets from his ballet Romeo and Juliet. Farah P (piano) and Eliana P (trumpet) followed with performances of Mariage d’amour by de Senneville and Tequila Sunrise by Wedgwood respectively.

The first vocal performance of the concert came next from Dottie G, who gave a heart-wrenching performance of I Dreamed a Dream from Schönberg and Boublil’s musical Les Misérables. She was followed by Aurora V on the piano, who jazzed things up with a very playful arrangement of Howard’s Fly Me to the Moon. Another vocal performance followed from Imogen K, who sang Hamilton’s Cry Me a River with real flair.

Eve P took to the stage next on the piano, giving a characterful performance of Rahman’s The Bounce, followed by Safiye Y on the drum kit, who rocked the stage with Lennon and McCartney’s classic Come Together. Next, it was the turn of Arya B and Avina E on the piano, who performed Rollin’s Love Theme and Kahn’s The Watermill respectively.

The last two items of the evening came from Rory R on vocals and Millie W on the piano. Rory sang Wildhorn and Bricusse’s Once Upon a Dream fluently, and Millie gave a stylish and upbeat performance of Norton’s New Kid.

We would like to thank the instrumental and vocal teachers who coached and guided our GCSE Music students towards the evening’s performances, as well as Mr Boxall for his brilliant piano accompaniment. As always, concerts like this are a team effort, and our students and their teachers deserve warm congratulations for the effort and hard work that went into delivering some very fine performances. Well done, Year 11 – keep up the good work!

Do watch the video of the concert here.

Reviewed by Mr Kokkinos