A chorus of nearly two hundred, comprising students, staff, friends (and Friends!) and, marvellously, very many amateur singers who had never visited the School before assembled in The Menuhin Hall yesterday to rehearse and perform Fauré’s Requiem. Superb accompaniment was provided by an orchestra comprising players from the School, augmented by two horn players from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama – to whom many thanks.
After a series of vocal warm-ups, Director of Music Malcolm Singer guided the choir through an afternoon of intensive rehearsal, followed by a picnic supper.
The evening concert began with performances from two YMS pupils, Aleks Mladenova (16), who played Schumann’s Kinderszenen, and Damir Durmanovic (15), who gave us Debussy’s Children’s Corner. Then followed the Requiem, with the solo sections sung by pupil Nicole Petrus-Barracks (16) and Headmaster Dr Richard Hillier.
The performance was dedicated to the memory of Robert Masters, Director of Music at the School from 1969 to 1981, who died earlier this week at the age of 97. It was a very happy and successful day and a fitting way to celebrate a great musical life.