Young Musicians impress in Barcheston for Shipston Proms

Young Musicians in Barcheston

The young musicians of the Shipston and wider area, put on an excellent classical music concert at St.Martin’s Church, Barcheston. This was part of the Shipston Proms 2015 series on events, and the Young Musicians event has been a part of the Proms since they started in 1998.

The event was introduced by Phyllida Gardner and then each performer was introduced by Vaughan Reed.

The concert started with a cornet quartet from Shipston Junior Brass band, conducted by their musical director David Birch. The quartet (Luke, Barker, Bethan Brown, Sasha Turner and John Boseley) played La Rejouissance by Teleman.

The we moved onto soloists with Eleonor Tomalin playing Tarantella by Pauline Hall on Piano. Eleonor attend Hook Norton School and also plays the guitar, flute and recorder.

Then next to perform was Luke Barker on cornet (accompanied on piano by Paul Webber) with an uplifting piece You Raise Me Up by Rolf Lovlund. Luke attends Warwick school and also plays violin and oboe. Interests outside of music include skiing, swimming and farming.

Moving on the violin Gemma Keffery gave us a splendid performance of Reverie by Michael Rose, with accompanied by Frances Morrissey on Piano. Gemma attends Great Rollright Primary school and also plays Baritone.

Then Will Smith played a piano piece Indian Pony Race by D.C. Glover. This year the organisers didn’t need to watch him on a YouTube clip first as his musical skills were evident. He also plays the clarinet, and will played it in the second half of this program.

Now we moved onto the Cornet larger brother, the trumpet with Cerys Wallis playing Album Leaf by Grieg from Lyric Pieces Bk 1, accompanied on piano by Helen Porter. Cerys attends Chipping Campden School in year 10 and here other hobbies include horse riding, swimming and cross country.

Then we had Olivia Rawle’s beautifully played flute pieces Tre Giorni san che Nina by Pergolesi and Whistling by Dave Stapleton. Olivia attends Kings High School in Warwick and also sings and plays the piano.

Then to complete the first half we had Lilly Locke passionately singing Irish Folk song My Lagan Love by Herbert Hughes. This piece was collected by Hughes in the early 1900s from irish folk songs sung in the Donegal area of Ireland.

Then after a welcome refreshment break, on what was the hottest July day on record (though the church was beautifully cool) we moved back the second half of the program.

This started with Will Smith, this time on Clarinet, with a well know swing piece Sing, Sing, Sing by Louis Prima, accompanied on the piano by Helen Porter. Will’s other interests include sports, football and Tennis and he attends Chipping Campden School.

Then we had another cornet solo, this time Sasha Turner of the Shipston Concert Brass group, with Share my Yoke by Job Webb, accompanied by Paul Webber on piano.

Then we had another Flute piece, this time by Lotte Davis with the first movement from Pan et les Bergers from La flute de Pan by Jules Mouquet. She was accompanied by Paul Webber on piano. Lotte’s aim are musical and hopes to go onto music college, and then to make her career in music.

Next up was another Soprano singer Octavia Lewis, with a very powerful voice for her age, who sang two pieces, O-Del Mio Dolce Ardor by Gluck (from a little known Opera Paris and Helen) and then in a very different style for And Greenfinch and Linnet Bird by Stephen Songheim, from the musical Sweeny Todd. She was accompanied by Helen Porter on piano.

Then we had a violin and viola duet from Kate Matthews and Chloe Halliwell with the first movement from Allegro Mozart Ist Duo for Violin/Viola KV423. Both performers are from the music department from King Edward VI School in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The Mozart Duet is unusual in that the Viola has almost as many fast semiquaver passages and as much double stopping as the violin. The piece is very much an equal duet with the viola as prominent as the violin. 

Chloe’s interests also include fencing, and she will be representing Great Britain at the Cadet Commonwealth Games later in July.

Kate enjoys helping within the community and this year she has been volunteering at The Limes, a care home in Stratford.

Next to perform was George Wilkes (who we had seen in an earlier Shipston Proms event at St. Edmunds Church in Shipston) on cello with two pieces by Ernest Bloch entitled Jewish Life and Jewish Prayer. George is a music scholar at Warwick School, and also plays piano. He was accompanied by Julian Harris on piano.

Then for the finale we had the entire ensemble perform Eye Level by Jack Trombey which went down very well to the packed audience in St. Martin’s.

To conclude David Cleave, representing the parish to thank all the performers and accompanists and thank the audience for coming along to support both the musicians and Shipston Proms.