PUPILS from seven primary and preparatory schools came together at King’s Ely to celebrate their love of music and take part in the annual Wind Band Day.
More than 100 young musicians from St Margaret’s, St Cedd’s, Glebe House, Bancroft’s, Ely St John’s, Howe Green and The Leys participated in this year’s event with King’s Ely musicians on May 3rd, and brought with them a variety of instruments, including flutes, oboes, clarinets, cornets, saxophones, trumpets and trombones.
The students were given three pieces of music to learn from scratch – Pedal Pusher, Music from Carmen, and Pirates of the Caribbean – which they then came together to perform in the school’s Hayward Theatre in front of students, teachers and families.
Director of Music at King’s Ely Junior, Neil Porter-Thaw, is delighted with the success of the event. He said: “The concert was a remarkable success considering the children only had fifty minutes on each piece. After the concert, it was clear that the children felt that they had achieved a great deal. Some of the pupils from other schools had never experienced playing in a group so large and it was so good to see them leave with smiles on their faces. Congratulations to all and my thanks to Mr Sedgewick and Mr Sivier for their excellent assistance.”
On the previous day, King’s Ely was delighted to welcome the Guildhall School of Music and Drama’s Saxophone Ensemble into school. The fourteen saxophonists, including Old Elean (former King’s Ely student) Saskia Porter-Thaw, Mr Porter-Thaw’s daughter, wowed pupils and staff at King’s Ely Junior with a concert in the Morbey Hall before heading over to Ely Cathedral to perform a lunchtime concert in front of over 100 happy listeners. The group then returned to King’s Ely in the afternoon to share their experiences with the school’s saxophone students, and they gave a masterclass where pupils sight read some Bartok with excellent success.