CHARITY CHRISTMAS CONCERT

King Edward VI School, Chelmsford

14.12.10

Camille Saint-Saens stirring Third Symphony, better known as the theme from “Babe”, was the climax of this year's Charity Concert at KEGS, raising money for the Hamelin Trust.

Not often performed by school orchestras, even more rarely with a schoolboy at the console, but this was a genuinely exciting rendition, with the mighty organ [Alex Palotai] well supported by the orchestral forces under Tim Worrall. Flute, oboe, clarinet and horn all more than merited their applause at the end.

The concert included many more favourites – Grieg's First Peer Gynt Suite, with some excellent work on woodwind, and, from the Chamber Ensemble, directed by Maggie Diffley, Holst's St Paul's Suite, with an impressive string sound and telling contributions from violinist Patrick Calver, who also led the Senior Orchestra.

We also heard, amongst a dozen other works from seven ensembles, Bizet and Boyce from the younger musicians, Grammaticus, a choir of parents directed by Clive Smith, an amazing array of trebles, plus harp, in Britten's Ceremony of Carols, and the ever-popular Wind Band, led by Sarah Woollatt, in Caravan from Sophisticated Ladies, and I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis, with the vocals movingly sung by Eleanor Kiff.