Pupils, parents and Friends of The Mount enjoyed a wonderful event to celebrate the first fortnight of term with a ‘Come and Sing’ concert on Saturday.
The Music department threw open their doors and invited families to dust off their vocal chords and join a morning’s rehearsal with an afternoon performance of Vivaldi’s Gloria.
The Vivaldi was the centrepiece of a feast of Italian music which featured The Mount’s Senior and Chamber Choirs, soloists and instrumentalists.
The singers assembled in School Hall to warm up their larynxes and sort into groups for their respective parts. Each group spent the rest of the morning getting to know the Vivaldi with support of Music department experts.
After a short break for coffee, the groups convened again in School Hall for a full rehearsal on stage. Eighty singers were delighted to discover that they didn’t sound too bad, especially considering how long they’d had to practice.
Our award-winning catering team from Wilson Vale continued with the Italian theme with an offering of mouth-watering pizzas and delicious fresh salads. The audience also arrived for a relaxed lunch and the performance commenced at 2pm.
The audience and choir were treated to performances of Italian music of Vivaldi’s time, which opened with solos by Mr Tong. This was followed by small ensemble pieces featuring Mrs Passmore, Mrs Snow, Ms Seymour and the Chamber Choir, who performed a motet that had probably never been performed since it was first composed in 17th century Italy. The final item was of course Vivaldi’s celebrated cantata-mass, Gloria.
Thanks to Dr Passmore, Mrs Passmore, Mr Tong and the Music department for a truly glorious day.