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Past Events
The School Orchestra trip to Switzerland
Twenty six pupils and five staff spent three days in Saanen at the end of July taking part in the Menuhin International Festival. The orchestra gave two concerts; one at the summit of Wispele of lighter music including Percy Grainger. For the first time the Orchestra performed at the beautiful church in Zweisimmen, near Gstaad.
Michael White of the Daily Telegraph who attended both concerts writes: ..... But the most purely pleasurable part of this Menuhin weekend came from a visit to Gstaad by pupils from the Menuhin School, Surrey. A small, hothouse institution (67 pupils) for very gifted youngsters aged 8 to 19, it specialises in string players and pianists; and the string band it sent out to Switzerland under its music director Malcolm Singer, was amazing.
They played a fun concert on the top of a mountain (reachable only by cable-car) that offered the surreal experience of Percy Grainger pounding away on the terrace of an alpine cafe while paragliders sailed by at eye-level. But more seriously, they did a proper concert that included a fiercely alert and coherent performance of Bartok’s String Divertimento (written when the composer was staying at Saanen!) and a fine account of Vaughan Williams’s Concerto Academico with a shy-looking but sleek-sounding young violinist called Ben Baker as the soloist. Hugely impressive……….
Cello Day
With Julian Lloyd Webber
Sunday 26th April 2009 was an exciting day at The Yehudi Menuhin School for the many cellists who gathered in The Menuhin Hall from all over the South of England. Julian Lloyd Webber and cello teachers from the School, Thomas Carroll, Pierre Doumenge and Anna Menzies led a series of demonstrations, masterclasses and workshops. Sixty people attended, most of whom brought their cellos to join in the sessions.
The day ended with the remarkable spectacle of 47 cellists on stage playing ‘I don’t know how to love him’ by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with Julian taking the solo melody. There was something for everyone from eight to eighty on this stimulating and inspiring day. Thanks are due to the DCSF who provided financial support so that we could offer this free to the general public.
For more images of Cello Day please contact the School.
BachFest 28th and 29th January 2009
Alina Ibragimova amazed our audiences with her masterly interpretations of Bach's Partitas and Sonata for Solo Violin.
'The two day Festival had a real buzz about it,' commented Malcolm Singer, the Director of Music.
The Festival began with all the pianists of the School performing the complete Inventions and Sinfonias of Bach.
David Dolan lead two workshops on improvisation, and gave a demonstration of his teaching during the first of the two evening concerts.
BachFest was a huge success
They played a fun concert on the top of a mountain (reachable only by cable-car) that offered the surreal experience of Percy Grainger pounding away on the terrace of an alpine cafe while paragliders sailed by at eye-level. But more seriously, they did a proper concert that included a fiercely alert and coherent performance of Bartok’s String Divertimento (written when the composer was staying at Saanen!) and a fine account of Vaughan Williams’s Concerto Academico with a shy-looking but sleek-sounding young violinist called Ben Baker as the soloist. Hugely impressive……….