ESF Orchestra and Choir Concert 2012 - West Island School

ESF Orchestra and Choir Concert 2012My experience at ESF choir was one I’ll never forget. As well as improving my voice, I progressed massively with myconfidence. If working with my peers wasn’t good enough, I also made many close friends from other schools, whom Inever would have met if it wasn’t for this opportunity. ESF choir has taught me many things: team work and cooperationwith a diverse group of people and the intensity of a professional choir. The pieces included many varietiesof genres of music; this definitely broadened my understanding of music in general. Whilst learning these pieces Icame across vocabulary that was beyond my current knowledge but picked it up along the way. I hope I can continuethis fabulous journey to become a greater performer than I am now, and I hope I keep this experience for the rest ofmy life. Maddie Bowers 10M1This week, Tuesday the 18th of September, the Baptist University Concert Hall was the venue of the ESF Orchestraand Choir Concert 2012. I was delighted to take part in this event as a member of the choir which was made up ofsingers from seven ESF schools, including West Island. It was a wonderful opportunity for both singers andmusicians to perform an array of compositions from classical to folk toswing! The orchestra was also composed of musicians from all sevenschools and, for the first time, the Concert featured a ChineseInstrumental Ensemble. The rehearsals, which took place at differentschools, were a great social bonus! I made lots of new friends whoshared a similar interest, and we quickly developed a strong sense ofteamwork and support for each other.A communal performance such as this is not only a valuable learningopportunity but also an enjoyable experience. My favourite pieces were"Zadok the Priest" by Handel because of its powerful vocals whichtested the ability of each and every singer; and also "It don't mean athing if it ain't got that swing" by Duke Ellington because of its jazzyrhythm. While singing in a choir you only really hear the voices aroundyou, so when I listened to a recording of the Concert I was amazed athow rich and professional the combined singing and orchestra sounded.I felt proud to have been part of it. We extend our thanks to MsDalgarno and Mr Gleeson who took leading roles in the production ofthis event. Sorcha Jackson 10S1

The ESF choir and orchestra concert wasn’t just fun or educational. It was an inspiring experience toremember. There were so many amazing things about it. The songs were so great and there was such avariety. For me, “Zadok the Priest” was themost challenging; it took me severalpractices before I was able to confidentlyreach the high notes. Then there were thebeautiful harmonies of “Bluebird” and the“Seal Lullaby”. The other songs such as“Baba Yetu” and “It Don't Mean a thing…”were wonderfully chosen and absolutelyamazingly fun to sing. And it’s not allabout the practice and the music; youmake amazing friends from all over ESF.It’s honestly just a fun time! It’s not a choreto learn the pieces, it’s rewarding - and thesongs are stuck in your head until wayafter the performance. I think the mostrewarding thing is when you receive thevideos of the performance and you canlook at it and say: ‘Wow. I accomplishedthat.’ Thank you.Erica Stanley 10T1This year’s ESF Orchestra was an amazing experience; we played music from Baroque to modern videogame theme songs. For me, it was the first time being able to play in a full size symphony orchestra, which isan experience I will never forget. One of the highlights for me in this year’s concert was “Baba Yetu”, a themesong for a video game, which was performed with the choir. Everyone was so enthusiastic towards the song,it left the audience astounded at the end of the concert. It was impossible to stop myself from humming thesongs after the concert – that’s how much I enjoyed it! As Ms Dalgarno said in the rehearsals “Play withconviction”; I feel that we have definitely accomplished that in this year’s performance! Pheobe Fung 10M2