The Music Showcase concert was originally planned to take place at St John’s Church, Newbury but unfortunately due to the evolving situation with Covid-19, it was relocated to the Murray Centre’s China Auditorium. Graduate Music Assistant, Miss Annabel Kidals reports,

The concert opened with an exhilarating performance from Symphony Orchestra. Their pieces included ‘Gabriel’s Oboe’ from The Mission, which featured a stunning oboe solo by Antonia in the Lower Sixth and we also enjoyed a beautiful piccolo solo from Upper Fifth girl, Alice in the Forrest Gump Suite. During the interval, whilst guests were offered refreshments, there was some great music from the Jazz Band who played Fly Me To The Moon, Saxes With Attitude and Tuxedo Junction to name a few! In the second half, highlights included In Harmony singing Danny Boy with a fabulous solo from Lauren Akinluyi. Prima Voce performed ‘On My Own’ from Les Misérables, which brought back many memories for them, as it was their winning piece at Barnardo’s Senior Choir of the Year Competition in 2019. Prima Voce were then joined by a newly formed ensemble, Sinfonietta, to perform Cantique de Jean Racine which sounded magnificent! At the end of the concert, all the choirs took to the stage to sing The Prayer, which was a lovely way to finish, and included a beautiful solo from Alice in the Upper Sixth. As always, a huge thank you must go to all the staff who were involved in making the concert happen, especially with a last-minute venue change. In addition, thank you to our accompanists, Miss Holmes and Miss Winsor.

Director of Music, Dr Charlotte Exon said,

The programme for the Music Showcase really celebrated the strong choral tradition at Downe House and the quality of the performances was quite outstanding. It was of course the final concert for many of our Upper Sixth musicians who will soon be in the midst of their A Level examinations. I am extremely proud of this group of girls who have an infectious enthusiasm for music and who have been a very hard working and are an exceptionally talented group of musicians. I wish them all every success in the future, both with their exams and their future musical life.

View the photos from the Music Showcase here