Practical Music
The School has a Chapel Choir, Schola Cantorum, Chamber Choir, two Symphony Orchestras, a Chamber Orchestra, Oundle Brass, two Jazz Orchestras, a String Orchestra, a Contemporary Music group, a senior Wind Band and many other opportunities for ensemble performance.
In the last three years the Chapel Choir has sung Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Westminster Cathedral, St George's Chapel, Windsor, Lincoln Cathedral, Southwell Minster, Canterbury Cathedral and York Minster.
Recent Symphony Orchestra repertoire has included Shostakovitch's Leningrad Symphony and Jazz Suite, Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake Suite, Grieg's Piano Concerto, Elgar's Cello Concerto and Wagner's Meistersinger Overture. The Chamber Orchestra have performed Mozart and Bach concerti, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Copland's Quiet City. We give an annual concert in St. John's Smith Square.
There is a flourishing Chamber Music programme including Senior and Junior String Quartets, Wind Ensembles and Piano Trios. Verdi's and Mozart's Requiems have been recently performed in the School Chapel, and a performance of Bach's St. John Passion is planned for later in 2005.
Musicians gain further experience playing at Cadet Force ceremonies as part of the CCF Band and in stage musicals, such as the 2004 production of Les Miserables in conjunction with the School's Stahl Theatre. Future plans include a newly written theatre piece by our resident composer The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold, and Howard Goodall's Hired Man. A weekly Lunchtime Concert series provides opportunities for solo and ensemble performance for all age groups.
In addition to Oundle's home music-making there are performances and masterclasses given by eminent musicians and ensembles. Most recently Oundle has hosted the Coull Quartet, the Endellion Quartet, The Sixteen, the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, James Kirby and Mark Messenger. Paul Harris launched his Improve your Practice books at a recent masterclass.
The Department has taken the Chamber Orchestra on tour to France, Spain and Prague, the Jazz Orchestra to Hungary and Barbados, and Schola Cantorum to Holland and the USA. The Chapel Choir has recently recorded two CDs, and recent tours have included visits to Italy, Spain and France.
Internal prizes for singing, piano, string, woodwind and brass playing are offered for competition annually. In recent years a number of pupils have been selected for the National Youth Orchestra, the National Wind Orchestra and the National Children's Orchestra.