Over 200 children from 12 groups participated in Concert Day at the Senior Saturday Centre on 7 December. Spirits and attendance were high despite the wind and rain: Camden folk are a tough lot! Lots of parents, friends, and supporters arrived in good time to enjoy a fascinating programme held in small venues and large halls across the school from 10:30 to 17:00.

Kicking off proceedings was Senior Jazz, directed by our inspirational tutors Nikki Yeoh and Binker Golding at 10:30, with a wonderful concert featuring great tunes such as Fifty Ways to Leave Your Lover and A Night in Tunisia. Just opposite, we had Soundsmiths, a small but perfectly formed group who enjoy free improvising with their tutor Jared Bennett.

The second half of the morning saw Recorder Group, Rock Band, Guitar Group, Orchestras, and our Intro to Group Music-Making entertaining parents and friends. The Main School Hall echoed with arrangements of Stravinsky’s Firebird, The Muppets, and a Christmas Medley with a mellifluous solo by trumpeter Alexander Hill. Beautiful playing! Seb Marshall and Gwen McDougal brought their orchestras together to present a high-spirited, festive theme to herald in the start of the holiday season.

I visited the Music House and was serenaded by Group Music-Making and their arrangements of Jingle Bells and Silent Night, led by violins and a trumpet. This important group gives young players their first experience of making music together. It was expertly directed by Enda Henehan, who is moving on next term.

Early in the afternoon, we were treated to the Soloist’s Concert that offers an opportunity for inexperienced and seasoned musicians to perform in a relaxed concert for soloists. We heard pianists, string players, percussionists, singers, and wind and brass players performing an eclectic programme ranging from Chick Corea to Kabalevsky and Lloyd Webber to Handel. All the young players were supported by their proud parents, teachers, and friends. This concert provides an important platform for the 140+ individual lessons in all instruments that happen on Saturday morning.

Concert Day finished with the annual Choral Concert at 17:00 featuring over 120 singers from across both Saturday Centres and included Chamber Choir, Camden Youth Choir, CamJam Voices, and Parents Choir. Our Choir team, led by Ros Savournin and including Ezra Burke, Lis Stewart, and Matt Brooks on piano, lie at the heart of the concert’s success with their entertaining and challenging repertoire choices. The concert was attended by an audience of over 200, and the Main Hall rang out with soulful singing and celebratory festive music.

Lovely comments from the audience included “the best ever”, “how do you do it?”, “a magnificent day of concerts”, and “How brave are those soloists!” These were just a few of the compliments we received, making it possibly the best Senior Saturday Centre Concert Day to date. The team of tutors and support staff left tired but with a wonderful day and term’s work.

Want to get involved?

Camden Music runs two Saturday Music Centres. CamJam, our Junior Saturday Music Centre, is based at Brecknock Primary School, and the Senior Saturday Music Centre is based at Camden School for Girls. Visit www.camdenmusic.org and click Learn to Play or Join A Group to learn more about what’s on offer.