On Monday 10 October, two of our most illustrious alumni Nicola Benedetti and Alina Ibragimova helped us to celebrate the opening of the new Music Studios. Major contributors to the new buildings, along with staff and other guests, were invited to view their own named studios and listen to a short concert by Nicola and Alina accompanied by the orchestra, followed by performances on one of the new Fazioli pianos by pupils Tom Yang and Viviana-Zarah Baudis.
Headmaster Dr Richard Hillier paid tribute to a number of individuals and Trusts who had given significant financial contributions to ensure the success of this project. These included:
Michael and Hilary Cowan
Margaret Slade
Joan Davison
Audrey Wilson
Foyle Foundation
Peter Harrison Foundation
Wolfson Foundation
Chair of the Board of Governors Richard Morris also thanked Governors Zamira Menuhin Benthall, Noël Annesley and Oscar Lewisohn, and not least Stuart Mitchell, Chair of the Appeal Committee and Development Board, and his wife Geraldine van Heemstra, whose contributions are also recognised through named rooms in the new building.
Special mention was also made of the Friends of the School for their ongoing support and fundraising efforts towards their own named studio.
