Pages 71-80 - Oswestry School

LES MISÉRABLESevening. The choice of this work by Karl Jenkins emanatedfrom an A-level music topic on modern vocal writing. Basedas it was on a 15th-century setting of a mass text, the workincorporates a diverse range of styles and resources. Thetraditional mass liturgy is interspersed with multiculturaltexts from different eras. Its ultimate message, that peace isbetter than war, and its final fervent prayer and affirmationof hope seemed wholly appropriate as the school moves onto the next chapter in its long history. I was delighted thatit proved possible to bring all the choirs together—over 150voices—to sing John Rutter’s Look at the world. A CD of theconcert was produced (another new venture) copies of whichare still available at an incredibly reasonable £7·50 (chequespayable to me, please). A review follows this article.I would like to place on record my appreciation andgratitude to the external participants, Cantiones, theaforementioned Shropshire musicians and the PorthywaenSilver Band, all of whom proved to be pleasant, co-operative,professional and committed musicians. It was both apleasure and a privilege to work with them. Few people willhave realised how hard the school staff worked in stagingsuch a large scale event as this. Mrs Juliet Woollam ignoreda severe chest infection in order to fulfil most of her role asalto soloist. A prominent member of Cantiones (also attachedto the music department) covered theremainder at extremely short notice—a performance all the more remarkableas she normally sings soprano.It was a delight to be able to workwith the other soloists: Mrs Sewardand Mr Birchwood—as well as myfellow conductor from Cantiones,Gerry Howe. Other staff involved(other than choir members) included,in the orchestra, Dr Martin Phillips,Susi Maas, Matthew Dundon, MrChristopher Symons (accompanist),Mrs Davies (administration), MrsLentink (orchestra liaison), and Mrs Leonard, Mrs Price andMrs Reay (marshalling of the above capacity audience, thelatter also helped with publicity).This list doesn’t includeall the staff who were there to supervise children or supportthe school. My gratitude to all for your help and support.LES MISÉRABLESA mere 21 days later, the music theatre club staged LesMisérables by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg.This time, the choice had been dictated by a small butdetermined coterie of year 12 pupils. At the time it was firstmooted, I organized a trip to the Grand Theatre inWolverhampton to see a Youth Theatre production. Owingto unforeseen parking difficulties (ie discovering that theminibus wouldn’t fit under the barrier, despite my havingasked specifically and being assured that it would!) Idropped Mrs Price and the theatre goers outside the Grandand circumnavigated the centre a few times before parking,and arriving, glowing and slightly breathless, some twentyminutes later. At this point, I should confess that, althoughI knew the story and some of the music reasonably well, Ihadn’t seen the musical in performance before. I was slightlyScenes from LesMisérables. Thispage—top: the finalchorus of LesMisérables; centre:Elliot Dyke andTristan Hartey holdTom Gonzalezcaptive; bottom:Conor Roche asGavroche. Nextpage—Alice Parkerand Charles PierceThe Oswestrian – 71

THE MUSICAL YEARtaken aback by the length of the song in progress as I arrivedbut I was so keen to suss out who the various characterswere, what they were wearing and how the numbers werebeing staged that it was some while before I realized thatTHERE WAS NO DIALOGUE.After the initial shock, rehearsals with the soloists werea pleasure as they flung themselves into learning andperfecting their parts. Working with the chorus was moredifficult as personnel seemed to change weekly, and therewere the inevitable absences to contend with. NickZampariello and Harry Hickson became multi-part men:“Oh, so and so’s not here—you cover that Nick”, “Nowyou’re Bamatbois, Harry—now move to the other side ofthe stage and be the labourer”, “Yes, I know you’re theforeman as well, you’ll just have to change places and singto yourself—for continuity, you know!”Eventually, progress was made and a full cast wasachieved. As this was a bit of a special production, Mrs Payneorganized the hire of costumes (insurance value £10,000!)for the main characters, in addition to clothing arrays of oldpeople, beggars, factory workers, lovely ladies and revoltingstudents. Special sound and lighting effects and an overenthusiasticsmoke machine all contributed to the spectacle.All the main characters were superb and everyone, includingthe students in the orchestra, played their part in ensuringthree evenings of riveting entertainment. My sincere thanksto everyone involved, not the least to Mrs Price who putharrowing family circumstances aside to produce yet another“best yet” show.BELLAN AND THE LOWER SCHOOLThe 600 event for the summer term was aimed at theyounger members. We were fortunate to be able to use musicand lyrics from Oswald—King, co-written by Mr DavidFairfax, grandfather to Luke Martin in the Senior School.Mrs Woollam and I were extremely appreciative of all theadvice and assistance we received for Mr Fairfax in stagingHOUSE MUSIC COMPETITION—adjudicators: Mrs Davies and Mrs RichardsOSWALD HOUSECaptains Tristan Hartey, Charlotte Eve and Elliot DykeChoir Lullaby of Broadway (Harry Warren)SPOONER HOUSECaptains Tanny Gliksman, Lauren Lloyd-Jones andHelen LimbreyChoir I Get Around (The Beach Boys)BURNABY HOUSECaptains Alice Parker, Emily Middleton, JJ Crawfordand Luke BrosterChoir With a Little Help from my Friends (The Beatles)DONNE HOUSECaptains Tom Gonzalez and Lara WhiteChoir We are the Champions (Queen)ENSEMBLESOswald Taylor (Jack Johnson): Harry Hickson (vocals),Josh Austin (guitar), Jonathan Molesworth(drums), Kristina Kingolts (guitar)DonneJosh Simmonds (electric guitar), AlistairTalbot (cornet)James Bond Theme: George Read (sax),Charlie Underhill (sax), Jessica Smith (sax),Paige Baker (brass)JUNIOR SOLOISTSOswald The Entertainer (Joplin arr D Carr Glover):Richard Christie (piano)Spooner Lucy Whitthread (voice)Burnaby Maria (Leonard Bernstein): Cameron Biles-Liddell (Cornet)Donne Colours of the Wind (Menken): Paige Baker(voice)INTERMEDIATE SOLOISTSOswald Allegro from Suite in G Minor (JS Bach): AnnieKeogh (saxophone)Spooner Can I Kick It?: Alice Redmond (drums)Burnaby Aria (Bozza): Tom Niblock (saxophone)Donne The Unexpected Song (Andrew Lloyd Webber):Biba Gonzalez (voice)SpoonerBurnabyCrazy (Gnarls Barkley): Tanny Gliksman(voice), Brooke Simons-Akwah (electricguitar), Charlotte Dade (flute), Matt Dundon(drums)The Circle of Life (Elton John and Tim Rice):Emily Middleton and Alice Parker (vocals),Vicky Booth (piano), Alun Morris (percussion)SENIOR SOLOISTSOswald Empty Chairs, Empty Tables (Boublil andSchönberg): Tristan Hartey (vocal)Spooner The Carnival of Venice (Arban): Ed Wadon(cello)Burnaby Drum Improvisation: Alun Morris (drums)Donne Dance of the Blessed Spirits (Gluck): KatieHughes (flute)72 – The Oswestrian

THE MUSICAL YEARLaura Bell Williams, Danielle Jones and Kristina Kingoltsour pupils competed against each other for the new Gullaward, with Tom Niblock clinching the trophy together witha bursary of £100 presented by the Oswestry and BorderCounties Advertizer. Many congratulations and thank you toall who gave up their time this weekend to represent theschool both in competition and in performance. I amextremely proud of you allFinally, many may not be aware that five of our pupils,in conjunction with students from Chetham’s and the YehudiMenuhin School of Music, put on a concert during half termto raise funds for the Orthopaedic Hospital. I would like topay tribute to all the pupils who took part in any of theevents of this momentous year—and we’re not done yet!SJ Morristhis workshop production. The pupils from years 3 and 4(Bellan) and the Lower School enjoyed learning about thehistory behind the story of Oswald and his demise on theMaes-y-llan. There was some spirited singing andinstrumental playing on the day.There was a real danger of the final musical event of theyear being something of an anti-climax but the summermusic concert proved to be anything but. There was a happymix of new and seasoned performers, some drawn from thesuccessful house music competition at the beginning of theweek, some from the instrumental groups that rehearsethroughout the year. It was an opportunity to enjoy somegood-quality ensemble playing as well as the numerous soloitems. Lower School choir were on particularly good formwith the Lullaby of Broadway and We’re Having a Heatwave(except we weren’t, of course).YOUTH MUSIC FESTIVALMention should also be made of our successes at theOswestry Youth Music Festival, not the least that three ofTom Niblock receives his prize from the town mayor Mr KeableLES MISÉRABLES—PRODUCTION AND BANDMusical DirectorProducerVocal CoachCostumesLightingSoundBackstage ManagerSet PaintingMrs S MorrisMrs A PriceMr Toby WilsonMrs A Payne, Mrs M Hart,Mrs K Lentink,Mrs G Gore BrowneDr M Phillips, LaurenLloyd-Jones, Norrie BrownHarrison Chidlow,Jamie GrahamMiss R Shaw with Luke Broster,Helen Limbrey, EmmaChapman, Anna ShpilmanLauren Lloyd-Jones, HelenLimbrey, Alice ParkerSetSet ConstructionMake-upTickets, ProgrammeTrumpet 1Trumpet 2TromboneViolinCelloKeyboardReedsKeyboard ContinuoPercussionMrs W Hickson, Mrs M PriceMr F Rowson and teamMrs C Eve, Mrs D Edwards,Mrs A BoundMrs F DaviesAlister TalbotThomas RoseMr M ParryMandy KwanEdward WadonMrs V BatyMrs S Bromley, Mr R JohnsonMrs S MorrisMatt DundonThe Oswestrian – 73

THE ST DAVID’S DAY CONCERTA review of the St David’s Day concertThere cannot have been many occasions when HolyTrinity Parish Church coped with a bigger audience thanthat for the St David’s Day Concert presented by OswestrySchool as part of celebrations for its 600th anniversary.Literally with standing room only, an appreciative followingof staff, parents and guests rose to congratulate organizer,the director of music Mrs Sue Morris, on a magnificentprogramme of choral and instrumental music from earlytimes to the contemporary, under the umbrella of OswestrySchool. We were treated to a well-managed, easy-going andenjoyable evening of remarkable talent.The first half began with the Porthywaen Silver Band,conducted by David Thomas, playing a medley of Welshmusic in the manner to which they are so well suited. MaeHen Wlad Fy Nhadau caught the audience somewhat bysurprise and only a handful rose to their feet to sing theWelsh National Anthem on the day of their patron saint,which was something of a disappointment but, no matter,the tone was set.There followed that delightful version of Psalm 23 byHoward Goodall, legendary as the theme tune to the Vicarof Dibley, sung by the choir of Oswestry School’s pre-prepdepartment, Bellan House. Conductor Mrs Juliet Woollamhas this choir extremely well trained: their diction wasimpeccable and the soloists, Elliot Blount-Pownell, TomNicholas, Jack Woolf and Jamie Jones, were meticulous intheir intonation and projection. It was hard to believe thesechildren are only in years 3 and 4.Moving up a generation, the junior choir of OswestrySchool, conducted by Mrs Karen Lentink, sang the pieceSound The Trumpet from Come Ye Sons of Art by Henry Purcell.Though one is used to hearing this performed by a pair ofsolo soprani, the two parts of the choir were precise in theexecution of some tricky running passages, whilst entrieswere both accurate and secure.It is tempting to state that the“professionals” were next to performbut of course, Cantiones, though anamateur chamber choir, is of, quitesimply, professional standard. The twocontrasting works, sung under theleadership of musical director GerryHowe, were, as expected, faultless:first Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus, then therousing Parry anthem I Was Gladaccompanied by organist ChristopherSymons.There followed, for me, thehighlight of the evening, as all ages combined for JohnRutter’s Look at The World. Though not particularly familiarit was instantly recognizable as Rutter (as Alice Tinker wouldhave said, “I can’t believe it’s not Rutter”!) and thejuxtaposition of the various voices from the youngestchildren to the most mature adults was most moving. It ismuch to be hoped that those small and medium childrenwill one day be the leading voices in choirs such asCantiones.The Armed Man—A Mass for Peace by the Welsh composerKarl Jenkins was the sole work of the second half of theconcert, for which the senior choir of Oswestry Schoolcombined with Cantiones, accompanied by guests fromOswestry Sinfonia, the Shropshire Youth Orchestra andPorthywaen Band.The work is an odd mixture of genres, with parts of highchurch mass interspersed with settings of 20th-centurypoetry, excerpts from the Mahabharata, and psalms. Themusic is equally diverse, at times simple, tuneful andpoignant, elsewhere in the best traditions of big filmsoundtrack, and in yet other places repetitive or almostcontrived in atonality. On the whole, however, the massedchoirs made the best of every movement, the school choirbraving the wide range of pitch without hesitation, whileCantiones provided bulk and support for the youngsters.Individuals from school staff and Cantiones dealt with theshort solo passages but all praise must be levelled at thestudents themselves who had so much to execute and whocarried it off splendidly.It was no wonder that Mrs Morris shone with suchgenuine admiration for them all as the evening drew to aclose.Mrs Lentink and the junior choir at Holy Trinity Parish Church74 – The Oswestrian

THE MUSICAL YEARPRACTICALEXAMINATION RESULTSABRSMGrade 1 Violin (Merit)—Laura DoyleGrade 2 Flute—Ben ChanGrade 2 Trombone (Merit)—Lucy WilliamsGrade 3 Violin (Merit)—Evie LaceyGrade 4 Trumpet—Harry HicksonGrade 4 Violin—Natalie YeungGrade 5 Piano—Jeffrey ChuGrade 5 Singing—Laura Bell WilliamsGrade 5 Violin—Ruth ReynoldsGrade 7 Piano—Vivian LeeTRINITY GUILDHALLGrade 4 Drum Kit (Merit)—James DawsonGrade 4 Drum Kit (Merit)—Oliver NewmanGrade 6 Drum Kit (Merit)—JonathanMolesworthGrade 8 Drum Kit—Alun MorrisOSWESTRY MUSICFESTIVAL RESULTS 20071st—Brass Solo (12 and under) Thomas Rose1st—Brass Solo (15 and under) Alister Talbot3rd—Vocal Solo (15 and under) Biba Gonzalez1st—Vocal Solo (19 and under) Emily Middleton3rd—Vocal Solo (19 and under) Laura Bell Williams1st—Vocal Duet (25 and under) Paige Baker andLaura DoyleLower School Choir awarded a merit in the youthchoir section1st—Drum Kit Solo (9 and under) Richard Christie(Richard was awarded the Recorded Music Societytrophy for winning this class)1st—Drum Kit Solo (15 and under) JonathanMolesworth2nd—Drum Kit Solo (15 and under) James Dawson1st—Woodwind Solo (15 and under) Tom Niblock2nd—Woodwind Solo (15 and under) Annie Keogh2nd—String Solo (12 and under) Evie Lacey2nd—Piano Solo (9 and under) Richard Christie1st—Piano Solo (12 and under) Evie Lacey2nd—Piano Solo (19 and under) Vivian Lee1st—Piano Duet (19 and under) Natalie and VivianLeeA summer concert—5 July 2007Junior StringsLargo (from The New WorldSymphony)Dvorak arr WestonEmily Middleton(soprano)SamsonRegina SpektorSeren-Heyward Jones(clarinet)Voi Che Sapete (from TheMarriage of Figaro)MozartFlute ChoirElena Burkart, CharlotteDade, Katie Hughes, EliseFisher, Verity Bowen, LornaHankey, Laura Bell WilliamsFree as a BirdWedgwood arr BatyThomas Rose(cornet)Panis AngelicusFrankRichard Christie(piano)The EntertainerJoplinPaige Baker(soprano)Colours of the Wind (fromPocohontas)Matthew Bunby(cello)Italian RantAnonLower School ChoirHeat WaveBerlinThe Lullaby of BroadwayWarren/Dubin arr MarshTristan Hartey(baritone)Empty Chairs, Empty TablesBoublil & SchönbergTraining Concert BandHang on SloopyRussell/Farrell arr SweeneyBig BandSilvergate OvertureEdmondsonPomp and CircumstanceElgarBiba Gonzalez(soprano)The Unexpected SongAndrew Lloyd WebberSax EnsembleGeorge Read, CharlieUnderhill, Jessica Smith,Paige Baker, Dougie Williams,Annie KeoghJames Bond ThemeNormanLucy Williams(Trombone)Des Pfarrers Nas MowatChelsea Bentley(mezzo soprano)I Feel PrettyBernsteinCatherine Bateman(Clarinet)Coquette, SicilienneParadisEnsembleHarry Hickson (vocals),Jonathan Molesworth(drums), Josh Austin andKristina Kingolts (guitars)TaylorJack JohnsonAlister Talbot(cornet)The Ash Grove Air andVariations RoundTom Niblock(saxophone)AriaBozzaHarry Hickson(tenor)Ain’t that a Kick in the HeadCohen and HeusenRuth Reynolds, Evie Lacey(violin duet)Romance and AllegroPleyelBrass TrioEdward Wadon, AlisterTalbot, Thomas RoseI Got RhythmGershwinEdward Wadon(euphonium)Carnival of VeniceArbanEnsembleTanny Gliksman (vocals),Brooke Simons-Akwah (leadguitar), Matt Dunson(drums), Charlotte Dade(flute)CrazyBarkleyThe Oswestrian – 75

THE 600th ANNIVERSARY CONCERTPupils & staff past & present concert13 October 2007 at St Oswald’s ChurchChoirThe Heavens are Telling (Haydn)trio: Carolyn Chadwick, Robin Woollam, MichaelBirchwoodMedley from Les Misérablessoloists: Biba Gonzalez, Tanny Gliksman, TomGonzalez, Michael Birchwood, Emily Middleton,James WoollamHarp DuetElizabeth Hulme and Quiana BookerThe Ash Grove (trad)Vocal SoloHannah-May ElmasryTime to Say Goodbye (Sartori and Quarantotto)Brass SoloAlister TalbotAve Maria (Bruckner)Organ SoloEric JonesToccata and Fugue in D minor (Bach)Concert BandMusic (John Miles arr Philip Sparks)Birdland (J Zawinul arr Sweeney)Vocal SoloBiba GonzalezVoi Che Sapetefrom The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)Flute SoloJenny CollingeFlute Sonata opus 120 (York Bowen)Vocal SoloLibby GliksmanSongbird (C McVie)ChoirRebecca Adcock, Louise Aust, Paige Baker, Mr D Banks (F), Ms MelanieBarth, Catherine Bateman, Mrs Val Baty, Emma Bell, Chelsea Bentley,Christian Blount Powell, Mr Michael Birchwood, Roy Cheung, Ms JennyCollinge, Charlotte Dingwall-Fordyce, Mrs Mary Croft (F), MrsCatherine Eve, Ms Caroline Fisher (F), Ms Libby Gliksman (OO),Nathaniel Gliksman, Ms Abigail Gomina, Mrs Arabella Gonzalez, BibaGonzalez, Tom Gonzalez, Lorna Hankey, Tristan Hartey, ChristopherHarvey, Mr John Marvey (OO), Alexander Herbert, Ms SamanthaHerbert (OO), Mrs Margaret Hogg (PS), Mr Mikael Hopkins (OO), KatieHughes, William Hung, Evie Lacey, Douglas Laundy, Mrs Karen Lentink,Ms Sarah Lentink (F), Ms Fiona Lloyd (PS), Emily Lunt Evans, IsabelleMakin, Natalie Makin, Ms Katie McNeil, Mrs Kath Mellor (PS), EmilyMiddleton, Ms Louisa Mitchell (OO), Polly Morgan, Mrs S Morris,Alexandra Mowbray, Tom Niblock, Mrs Madge Paggett (F), Alice Parker,Mrs Anne Payne, Ruth Reynolds, Mrs Geri Richards, Mr Edward Roberts(OO), Brooke Simons-Akwah, Jade Taylor, Ms Liz Thomas (OO), IsobelTomley, Daisy Tickner, Kendal Welsby, Lara White, Lucy Whitthread,Lucy Williams, Natasha Williams, Mr James Woollam (OO), Mrs JulietWoollam, Mr Robin Woollam (OO)Saxophone SoloTom NiblockAria (Bozza)Piano SoloRobin WoollamRosemary (Frank Bridge)DuetJohn Croft and Chris SymonsBanjolele and PianoMelody in F (Rubinstein)I N T E R V ALThe Spirit Carries OnDream TheatreMikael Hopkins, Edward Roberts, John HarveyString EnsembleUpstairs, Downstairs (Paris arr Frazer)Romance, Minuet and March (Mozart)Vocal SoloJames JonesBravo, Signer Padrone, Se Vuol Ballarefrom The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)Brass SoloRachael KingBallade (John Gotland)Vocal SoloCarolyn ChadwickOrchestraFinale, Symphony no 5 (Beethoven)Choir and OrchestraZadok the Priest (Handel)String GroupDr Jim Ayres (PS), Victoria Bateman, Mr Abbas Bowen (OO), MatthewBunby, Laura Doyle, Emma Duncombe, Ms Hannah-May Elmasry (OO),Tristan Hartey, Mandy Kwan, Evie Lacey, Natalie Lee, Vivian Lee, MsSarah Lentink (F), Nichola Lawrence Millard, Ms Louisa Mitchell (OO),Ruth Reynolds, Ms Elizabeth Thomas (OO), Daisy Tickner, JasmineTickner, Victoria Whittingham, Mr Robin Woollam (OO)Concert BandStacey Baker, Catherine Bateman, Mrs Val Baty, Mrs Sarah Bromley, MsJenny Collinge, Vincent Chu, Mr Colin Hooper, Charlotte Dade, MatthewDundon, Lorna Hankey, Seren Heyward-Jones, Katie Hughes, Mr RoyJohnson, Annie Keogh, Ms Rachael King, Douglas Laundy, Natalie Lee,Vivian Lee, Mr Mark Parry, Dr Martin Phillips, Victoria Martoccia,Jonathan Molesworth, Callum Morris, Tom Niblock, George Read,Thomas Rose, Sophie Serrell-Cooke, Alister Talbot, Dougie Williams,Lucy Williams, Tom Wilson, Mr Robin Woollam (OO), Katy YatesGuest Conductor: Mr James JonesAccompanists: Mr Christopher Symons, Mrs Sue MorrisF = friend of Oswestry School, PS = past staff, OO = past pupil76 – The Oswestrian

THE RECITAL SERIESAnother memorable recital seriesANOTHER FANTASTIC series ended with aconcert of such quality as befits an institutioncelebrating 600 years of existence: a recital bythe pianist Alfred Brendel. Playing music byMozart, Haydn, Schubert and Beethoven, he showed whyhe has been regarded for so many years as one of the world’sgreatest pianists.In September, the Allegri String Quartet played to apacked PHC and gave us another chance to hear the greatBrahms F minor Sonata—this time in its piano quintet form,with the Allegri being joined by the series director,Christopher Symons.In November, the wind section of the City of LondonChamber Orchestra played in Holy Trinity, being a rareopportunity to hear the magnificent Gran Partita of Mozart,for 13 wind instruments. The Serenade in D minor by Dvorakcompleted the programme.A rare visit by a choir to the series happened in February,when the Sirenian Singers (under their charismaticconductor Jean Stanley Jones) presented a wonderfullyvaried programme of secular and sacred music.Cello and piano appeared in March. Adrian Brendel (yes,you are right, he is Alfred’s son!) and pianist Tim Hortongave a thrilling recital in the PHC, despite both of themhaving had horrific journeys to reach Oswestry: Adriancoming from Africa via Germany via Hampstead via abroken-down car via a flood-beset railway system andeventually a lift from Telford, arriving at the PHC just 25minutes before kick-off! Tim’s problems from SheffieldChristopher Symons and Alfred Brendelseemed minor in comparison. Rather than be downcast, theirperformance was a highlight of the season.Then, in May, we had the thrill of hearing the Orchestraof the Age of Enlightenment—conducted by Rattle just theprevious week, and next week helping to celebrate thereopening of the Royal Festival Hall. Under the warm andinspired leadership of Rachel Podger, we heard baroquemusic at its liveliest, played by consummate early musicspecialists.A review of the concert given by theOrchestra of the Age of EnlightenmentApacked audience at Holy Trinity Church, Oswestry,was fortunate to hear what is regarded as the finestbaroque orchestra in Europe—the Orchestra of the Age ofEnlightenment—on Sunday, 20 May 2007. Their stringsection, with harpsichord and chamber organ continuo,performed a programme of lesser-known music, entitledBohemian Baroque, by composers such as Biber, Muffat andSchmelze.The renowned early music violinist Rachel Podger (whodirected the orchestra) gave a pre-concert talk about theworks to be performed. Her revealing comments about theimaginary narrative that lies behind the music provedhelpfully illuminating, and the audience was duly rewardedwith the sounds of drunken soldiers, rifle shots andanimated chatter. Other moments of tenderness andpolyphonic intricacy were handled with consummateartistry. These players (conducted only a week earlier in theBarbican, London, by one of their founder conductors, SirSimon Rattle) produced that sound of rich but restrainedcharacter such as can only really be made from periodinstruments. Their different shape, gut strings and unusualbows create a warmer tone, one of the fascinating pointsmade by Rachel when being interviewed the followingmorning on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour.This visit was part of their current tour—Bristol,Oswestry, Brussels, Amsterdam and finally back to theQueen Elizabeth Hall in London—and was the secondtripartite collaboration between the Oswestry School recitalseries, the Shropshire Music Trust and Orchestras Live.Bearing in mind that the next concert features the legendarypianist Alfred Brendel, it is not surprising that this series isbecoming more and more popular, with record audiencenumbers and increasingly recognized reputation.The Oswestrian – 77

HOUSE DRAMAHouse drama competitionTHE HOUSE drama competition took place onWednesday 17 October 2007. The adjudicatorswere Mrs Christine Hughes and Mrs DebbieGlen. Burnaby were the winners, with Oswaldsecond, Spooner third and Donne fourth.Spooner were on first with Commercial Break by CarolynDrury. It was a comedy set in a busy advertising agencybeset with all sorts of problems, the solutions to whichproved to be very unusual. Director: Tanny Gliksman;lighting: Benson Ip; backstage: Charlotte Dade; prompt: VictoriaBateman.SPOONER HOUSECOMMERCIAL BREAKMaximilian Smith . . . . . TANNY GLIKSMANSt John Lacey . . . . . . . . . . . CHARLES PIERCEDereck Jones . . . . . . . . . . . . OLIVER DOWENHazel Jones . . . . . . . . . . . CHELSEA BENTLEYSonia Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ABIGAIL JONESWayne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LEO BANKSCandy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LUCY WHITTHREADMiss Luscious. . . . . . . . . . . MARTHA TWIGGMiss Lovely . . . . . . . . . . . . . SALLY ROBERTSMrs Farmer . . . . . . BROOKE SIMONS-AKWAHBurnaby’s play was A Timely Manoeuvre by EmmettLoverde. Arrow-stiff Jane Marwood was surprised whenher blind date Reggie pulled out an egg timer and set it forfive minutes. Five minutes later, she was appalled when heAbigail Jones confronts Oliver Dowen and Chelsea Bentleymade a proposition, pointing out that women supposedlyknow within five minutes of meeting a man how much theyare interested in him. Directors: Luke Broster, Alice Parker;backstage: Anna James, Nelson Ngai, Roy Cheung, RebeccaAdcock, Elise Fisher, Ellie Chambers, Oliver Morris; lighting:Danielle Jones; make-up: JJ Crawford, prompt: Alice Parker.BURNABY HOUSEA TIMELY MANOEUVREJane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EMILY MIDDLETONReggie . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHARLIE MANFORDOswald’s play was The Weirdest Honeymoon Ever by DMBocaz-Larson. A newly-wed couple soon found out theyLucy Whitthread, Abigail Jones and Leo BanksEmily Middleton and Charles Manford78 – The Oswestrian

HOUSE DRAMAFinally, it was Donne’s turn. Their play was Goodbye, MyDarling, a comedy in which a husband, thought to be dead,returned from the grave to exact revenge on his unsuspectingwife. Lighting: Jamie Graham; backstage: William Hung,Vincent Chu, Sophie Serrell-Cooke.DONNE HOUSEGOODBYE, MY DARLINGTristan Hartey, Kristina Kingolts and Chuck Robertsdidn’t have the peace and solitude they had hoped for ontheir honeymoon. Directors: Tristan Hartey, Kristina Kingolts;lighting: Norrie Brown; sound: Polly Morgan, ShigumaNakasone; backstage: Adam Lloyd, Ricky Martoccia; props:Lucy Williams; curtain: Sam Bainbridge.Mary Coin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LARA WHITEMichael Coin . . . . . . . . . . . . .GEORGE READJill Hateley . . . . . . .KATHERINE STOCKDALEMother . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BIBA GONZALEZGerald Hateley . . . . . . . . . . .JOE COLLINGEDr George Wilcox . . . . . . .TOM GONZALEZRon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAIGE BAKERJack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KATIE HUGHESOSWALD HOUSETHE WEIRDEST HONEYMOON EVERPete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHUCK ROBERTSMay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KRISTINA KINGOLTSDoc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TRISTAN HARTEYJohn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OLIVER SZIKSZAYMaggie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KATY YATESFrank . . . . . . . . . . . . PIERS BEYNON-THOMASEunice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . POLLY MORGANMyrtle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . VICKY MARTOCCIAPiers Beynon-Thomas, Polly Morgan, Victoria Martoccia, Chuck RobertsJoe Collinge and Tom GonzalezKatie Hughes, George Read and Paige BakerThe Oswestrian – 79

BELLAN HOUSE IN PICTURESHalloweenEgg and spoon raceThe Nursery at Forest SchoolThe sack raceSpeech Day with Owen Paterson, MPThe captains of Amazon House on Sports DayRefreshments at Speech DayBalloons at the teddy bears’ picnic on Sports Day80 – The Oswestrian