Such fantastic commitment, energy and creativity have been on display this week! The Houses were superbly organised, with brilliant extra support offered by senior PA scholars who really helped to make all the events so special! We were genuinely so impressed by the leadership and teamwork shown in all the Houses!
On Tuesday, we held the first concert of the season, with the Senior Soloists Chamber Concert. Featuring performances on the violin, clarinet and voice, the audience were treated to a range of styles from some of our most advanced musicians, including an Israeli violin concerto and musical theatre hits. It was also brilliant to see some new faces take to the stage, and a wonderful way to kick start a week of exceptional showcases for the Performing Arts Festival. The standard of performance was exceptionally high. Well done to all the musicians for such a fabulous event.
House Drama seems to go from strength to strength each year and the standard of the scripts and performances this year were incredible! We were fortunate to have two professional performers with us on Wednesday evening as judges, Judyth Aarons (an opera singer) and Rob Pudner (actor and broadcaster) and they had a very difficult job choosing a winner. In the end, BARNICOTT triumphed with a script that responded strongly to the theme “Reflections”.
The packed audience was then thrilled by a fantastic range of solo, duet and group dances for the annual House Dance contest. Once again, the standard was exceptionally high, and the judges were especially impressed by the way the choreographers managed to ensure that the large groups all worked together with expert timing.
Of course, it was another difficult decision, but this time WOOLMER came out on top. It may sound like a cliché but in fact everyone who took part was a winner, because the success of every performance depended on the whole community working together collaboratively. It was a joyous event which left us eager for the finale of the Performing Arts Festival: House Music!
The winners this year are:
PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
1st place: Mia & Freya
2nd place: Lily
3rd place: Aria & Adam
HOUSE DRAMA
1st place: BARNICOTT
HOUSE DANCE
1st place: WOOLMER
POETRY RECITAL
Years 7 – 9 Winner: Holly
Year 10 & Above: Emily & Alfie
House Music
In true Queen’s fashion, the Senior School closed an exciting half term with an explosive event – the annual House Music competition! After a week of outstanding performances in the Performing Arts Festival, all students from Years 7 – 13 showcased their vocal versatility in this hotly anticipated event. The day saw pupils engage in an intensive rehearsal schedule, led entirely by the Heads of House, with each house working on two songs – the first drawn from a hat and the second, chosen by the captains on this year’s theme – Ultimate Covers… Their creativity was then put to the test in the afternoon’s fully sung performance. This year featured an additional challenge… the Battle of the Bands!
We kicked things off with the instrumentalists, who took to the stage to battle it out for victory. With points on the line for the number of players, there was a true array of ensembles on display, and all quite unconventional… Each house demonstrated their versatility, with performances including ‘Viva La Vida’ and ‘Roxanne’, and it was fantastic to see the dedication from so many musicians – including some brand new players!
It was then the turn of the singers, with full-house ensembles. Woolmer were first, with their lottery number, ‘Unwritten’, followed by their chosen cover – ‘I love Rock ‘n Roll’. They set the bar high with two outstanding, high-energy performances with some great contributions from small ensemble singing. Next to take the stage was Ray, with the ultimate classic, ‘Happy’ and ‘Valerie’ – an ambitious choice, expertly delivered. Up next came Barnicott with ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ (what a tune!), moving seamlessly into ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ (and boys?) – two engaging performances that really built the tension. Finally, French took the floor with their songs ‘Classic’ and ‘It Must Be Love, demonstrating thorough preparation and a creative approach to the ensemble work. And of course, the sixth form brought the entertainment with ‘Can’t stop the feeling’, complete with cracking choreography! The final decision was left to the prestigious panel of judges; whilst the result was exceptionally close, the title this year was clinched by Barnicott, who closed the performance with a rousing reprise of their drawn song.
The competitive spirit this week has been electric, with the prefect team going above and beyond to showcase the collective talents of the students and presenting some truly memorable performances. Many thanks to the Heads of Houses and their exceptional assistants for pulling off an event with precision and panache. Oh Queen’s – what a team!