Chapel Studio and Stave House students shared the stage with organist and repitateur for National Ballet and Dance East – Calvin Goymer , Vocal coach and Soloist Stacey Minshull from ‘learn to Sing’ -Colchester and Stave House Academy Essex and also with Ruth Travers .
Other performers during the evening were the Jesters Adult Show time choir and the Chelmsford Silver band.
The students delighted the audience with a varied pro gramme in keeping with the Historical theme . They performed a range of classical pieces and folk music including The Smugglers the poem by Fleming set to music as smuggling was notorious in Georgian and Regency times here in Essex.. Opening with the very fitting’ English Country Gardens’ the students interspersed English folk song with beautiful classics.
Alice Nightingale captivated her audience with a wonderfully pure rendition of the Claire Benediction by John Rutter and also the mischievous piece clock a clay by Richard Rodney Bennett.
‘ Time on my own’ a piece by Ruth Travers was particularly well received by the audience and performed with pathos and atmosphere by all the students with beautiful solos from Alice and Jessie nightingale and haunting free style improvisation from the three violinists Jamie Tew, Millie Gibbins and Veyd Chippalkhatty .
Veyd also took us further on in History to the Victorian period with his performance of ,Who will buy’ from the Lionel Bart Musical Oliver.
Ruth, Stacey and Calvin then closed the programme with numbers ranging from the deeply moving Stabat Mater to Gershwin Jazz.
Proud Parent, Mrs Sarah Gibbins, wrote to say: “We all had a wonderful evening and I was impressed with how well everyone performed . I am so pleased that Millie can be involved in a wide variety of concerts and performances. I think they all add to being a confident player . Thank you again for your continued hard work and support.”