golf - Jules Akel

46 w e l l i ng ton y e a r b oo k 2 0 07 − 2 0 0 8w e l l i ng ton y e a r b oo k 2 0 07 − 2 0 0 8 47m u s i chas meant that pupils are now more prolific than ever intheir output. I also give my wholehearted thanks to Ed‘Cartwheel in Motion’ by Nick Snow [Hl]and over-flowing sketchbook which was a joy to look at !The list of great and good wouldn’t be complete with-Robertson [T]. His indomitable spirit, good nature andambition to produce the very best work possible has beena lesson for everybody in how to be exemplary.Of the aforementioned pupils, Royce Tsang, VickyGuy, Ed Robertson, Marcus Aitken, Elysia Byrd and PoppyWilcox all received Art prizes; never was there a moredeserving cohort who have lived and breathed the subjectboth night and day for the past year. The History of Artprizes go to Freya Reilly [Ap], who also achieved thelvi Art prize, and Hannah Boissier [Ap] who producedwork of the highest calibre this academic year. Other notablepupils who receive prizes include Milly Bryden [C]who has wowed us all with her technical prowess in the subject,culminating in some of the strongest portraiture producedthis year. LouisTimpany [A] has reallyout a special mention of Art Textiles, which continues togo from strength to strength. On Speech Day, the workwas an absolute riot—colourful, vibrant and true testamentto the sheer hard work all Lower and Upper Sixthform pupils had put in throughout the year. Of particularnote were Poppy Wilcox and Laura Keeble [Ap] whoproduced superb work which reflected extraordinary flair,ambition and vision.The Speech Day exhibition was simply stunning ! Anarray of work encompassed the multi-disciplinary ethosof the Art School, including painting, drawing, film, photography,textiles and 3d work; it would have equalled thebest end of year exhibition at any school. Every roomin the Art School was a feast on the eyes. Several ofour artists exhibited inand around the Schoolventured forth thisto excellent effect.year to produce workin 3d which is intelligent,thoughtful andskilful; he has the makingsof a first rate ceramicist.As I came to theend of my first yearas Director of Art atWellington College, Ifelt that the standard ofMin Ju Ohwork in the Art School[Hn] won the consensusof all with her stunningMemories projectgcse, as & a2 Level ceramicswas strong and will continueto get strongerstill. Laurence HedgesReflecting on another busy year, I am sittinglooking at Nietzsche’s famous quote fromTwilight of the Idols and pondering on the idea oflife without music.The Music Department specialises in all types ofmusic, whether background music accompanying a drinksparty (thank you Sax Quintet for all you have done thisyear at so many events); at an Open day showing off (thankyou string duos, saxophone ensembles and soloist JamesBourne [A] for your umpteen renditions of Stars fromLes Miserables); providing music for plays; embellishing theservices with organ music or choral music; supportingrock bands; raising money for charity through concerts;providing concerts whether home-grown or imported;and educating which we try to do constantly whether byprogramming or providing concert platforms. We certainlyenhance so many occasions.I have been impressed by the performances thisyear—the Montgomery, adjudicated by Paul Daniel, wasa fantastic mixture of talent from six very fine musicians.Katie Jillings [O] and Sabina Virtosu [W] providedvirtuosic performances on the violin with Steph Tress[O] performing with such musicality on the cello. RichardBignall [Bn] and James Bourne provided contrastingmini-recitals for voice and Trishan Vaikunthanatha[Hl] provided an incredible display of virtuosic playingon the clarinet. The decision by Paul Daniel was basedon communication as well as quality and James Bournebecame the second singer to win the prize in the lastten years—a fantastic achievement. James Montgomerystated that “they do work so hard to achieve that mostimpressive music-making, and there must be similar talentwe never hear that doesn’t quite make it to the final.”There are but only six reach the final from the twenty orso Grade 8 players who audition.There were other impressive performances at SouthHill Park in February (with amongst others Nick Jupp[Bd], Dongsu Kim [Bl] and Emma Parkhouse[C]) and at St Martin-in-the-Fields in June with EmmaParkhouse performing and Tom Lowe [L] accompanyingSteph Tress and Sabina Virtosu performing her finalrecital in a wonderful year of music making for her. Herfinal performance of Ballad by Ysaÿe was remarkable.Claire Sledd also performed music to a veryhigh standard. Her performances of the Saint-SaënsIntroduction and Rondo Capriccioso as well as Massenet’sMéditation with the Reading Symphony Orchestra atReading Town Hall were beautifully performed. Anotherhighlight of the year for Claire was the Sibelius ViolinConcerto performed exquisitely on a Guadagnini violinlent to her for the occasion: this piece is difficult forany violinist let alone someone who has only an hour torehearse it with an orchestra.At the same concert singers from the College Chorusjoined with Crowthorne Choral Society to perform theMozart Requiem. Indeed singers have been busy this year,with the Chapel Choir performing Evensong at SalisburyCathedral and Chichester Cathedral as well as the usualarray of Carol Services and performances in chapel. I wasdelighted that some pupils and staff were able to performan anthem in the Leavers’ Service after the end of term—this exemplifies the dedication of our musicians. I havealso enjoyed listening to an array of student organ players(under the guidance of Oliver King) as well as the oddrecital (Tom Lowe’s particularly springs to mind).Another highlight must be the Angel Concert inOctober. With just a couple of rehearsals with a choirfrom Kaduna, Nigeria, the chapel choir performed acouple of items at a memorable fund-raising concert;Ed Guillaume-Smith [L] sang and performed withan improvised backing chorus and the choir danced andsang along to a number of songs learnt especially for theoccasion. The ending of Change in My Life will take sometime to forget.At the end of term the Chapel Choir departed on along weekend break to Munich. Four performances werepromised, with services in three churches and a concert,as well as ample time for shopping and glühwein. CorneliusRiethdorf came as our official translator and he introducedus to the delights of Munich (indeed thanks must go toCornelius Riethdorf [Hl] and James Robinson [T]for being such excellent music prefects this year). Thesinging was very good indeed and despite the odd passportbeing mislaid this was a very successful and fun tour.Les Misérables was a tour-de-force with schedules ofrehearsals going on from the beginning of the Michaelmas