27th July 2017
Led by Claire and Andy Harvey, this involved an group of young flautists in a day of ensemble playing with a distinctly ‘animal’ theme! After the morning rehearsals the group performed open-air at Jersey Zoo, in the courtyard of the beautiful manor house. A combination of solos, duets, and ensemble pieces made for a lovely programme:
The group met again in the evening to perform at Georgetown Methodist Church, in a concert also featuring diploma recital performances from pianists Oliver Scott and Esther Cushen, and saxophonist James Poingdestre. This concert raised £260 for the church, congratulations to all involved.
Saturday 17th June 2017
A glorious day of sunshine ensured that our annual flagship event was enjoyed greatly by all. The event combined musical performances with traditional stalls, bouncy castles, a fantastic raffle, and as more and more people arrived throughout the afternoon the academy became truly packed!
Over one hundred performances took place, using the Chapel, Recital Hall, and Open-Air Stage, and a range of different stalls, games, including two bouncy castles and giant sumo suits, meant that when not either watching or participating in a performance there was absolutely loads to do. The Open-Air Stage featured performances from the Amity Singers, Vermont Brass, Flutasia, and the VCJ Big Band Theory:
The event concluded with the Awards Ceremony, in which Primary Certificates were given out to some of the youngest members of the academy, and the Secondary Awards featured medals and trophies for selected young musicians, based on their commitment and progress through the year.
| ACADEMY AWARDS 2017 | |
| BRASS AWARD | Blackburn, Kathryn |
| BRASS MEDAL | Durham-White, Liam |
| PERCUSSION AWARD | Merren, Alexander |
| PIANO AWARD | Matheson, Rebekah |
| PIANO AWARD | Richardson, Hannah |
| PIANO MEDAL | Brown, Joshua |
| PIANO MEDAL | Cushen, Jonathan |
| PIANO MEDAL | Deacon, Lucy |
| STRINGS AWARD | Deacon, Libby |
| WOODWIND AWARD | Henman, Katie |
| WOODWIND AWARD | Journeaux, Seamus |
| EXAM MEDAL (highest exam result) | Scott, Oliver |
| THEORY MEDAL (highest exam result) | Russ, Julia |
The much-anticipated Raffle brought the event to a close (with Harrison Caldeira winning the much coveted Nintendo Switch!). A huge thanks go to all the people who gave up their time to ensure that the event ran smoothly, what a wonderful day!
10th June 2017
Thirty five academy instrumentalists joined forces with the forty-strong visiting Durham University Palatinate Orchestra for a full day of orchestral playing. During the morning, the group was divided into ensembles to learn the repertoire led by the visiting students and our team of teachers from the academy.
The groups then gradually came together through the day, firstly as separate strings, winds, and brass sections, and then finally as the full combined orchestra.
The project was run in partnership with Hautlieu School, and a number of their young instrumentalists also participated, with the concert taking place at Hautlieu School in the evening. The combined orchestra performed Grieg’s Hall of the Mountain King, and Bizet’s Toreador’s Song (from Carmen). The visiting orchestra also performed Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with local virtuoso pianist Isobel Osborne (who is studying music at Durham, and was one of the driving forces in enabling this project to happen).
Our thanks go to all the visiting students, Isobel, and DUPO’s outreach coordinator Zoe Wardell, a wonderful project enjoyed greatly by all!