Christmas Concerts Raise the Roof!

13/01/2012

The audience at the End of Term Gig enjoyed a high-energy performance! (Photo by Nick Ball)

A series of musical showcases took place at The Hub theatre at the Haywards Heath campus in the week running up to Christmas, with numbers to cater for every musical taste being performed.

On Monday 12 December, A Level and BTEC Music students took to the stage for the 'Christmas Concert' to round off the autumn term in style. The concert saw students performing solos for the first time in front of a large audience, on a range of instruments including: Electric guitar, Piano, Flute, Cello and voice.

Highlights included an exceptional performance from AS student, Milan Tarascas, 17, from Lindfield, who played a Bach Prelude and a beautiful rendition of 'The Swan' from 'Carnival of the Animals' by Saint-Saens; and Georgina Thorburn, 18, from East Grinstead, who recently passed her Grade 8 piano exam with merit, performed an expressive Prelude by Grieg.

The evening also included a range of covers and original tracks performed by first and second year BTEC students, including 'All that I Know', a song written and performed by Josie Charlwood, who is 17 and lives in Haywards Heath. The evening concluded with a Christmas song 'Angel's Carol', performed by the College's talented vocal group.

The Classical Café is a new night at The Hub, and took place on Tuesday 13 December. Tables and chairs were laid out 'café style' with festive decorations, and the audience invited to bring refreshments. The evening featured recital-style performances from all second year A-Level music students.

Student Olivia Dixon, 17, from Cuckfield, gave an expressive performance of her own composition entitled 'Glory' on the piano, whilst Jim Campbell, 18, from Burgess Hill, livened things up with a series of up-tempo numbers on his Saxophone. The evening culminated in a tear-jerking performance of 'Bring Him Home' from Les Miserables, sung in 4-part harmony.

Tutor Samantha Wood said: "It was fantastic to see how much the students have developed since their first year, and they took command of the stage, performing to the best of their ability. The students are looking forward to their next Classical Café in the spring."

The first End of Term Gig of the 2011/12 academic year was held on Thursday 15 December and was yet another amazing success. An almost capacity venue witnessed the first ever performances by the new intake BTEC Music Year 1 students.

Music Tutor, Steve McCarthy said: "The wide range of genres performed on the night ranged from Motown to Metal and it was great to have the support of the local music community, many of whom came along to the gig."