It was time for the final push towards Saturday's London concert.
Our students at the Friday barbecue
What better way to give everyone that Friday feeling than to have Adam Saunders lead today’s Whole School Warm Up? Along with some moves to ensure our students were fully motivated for the day, we rehearsed this week’s Whole School Finale – tune back in tomorrow to find out what that is!
Whole School Warm Up with Adam Saunders
The orchestra’s main focus for today was finalising their performance plans in terms of articulation and sound colours especially. Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite was enhanced significantly with these drops of colour, whilst Korngold’s Theme and Variations was instantly raised to a more professional standard with extra focus on counting and articulation. Ensemble and energy was the key for last checks of Bizet’s Carmen Suite, bringing the heat and atmosphere of Spain to Winchester.
Final rehearsals with Lee Reynolds
Harmonies were the topic of discussion for the choir’s final day of rehearsals. Having had a week full of learning music by ear, the group’s heads were bursting with words and sounds, but every repetition brought new energy and grew their love for the repertoire. The end of the day brought an outdoor bonding activity, allowing the musicians to unwind at the end of a week of dedication and pure commitment from all.
Laughter and smiles in choir rehearsals
Our saxophonists spent the day tightening up their space themed programme, building up chords to get the students really listening to each other, matching articulations in accompanying moments and letting each of their voices project to the back of the room. Choreography was finalised for their contemporary exhibit on the fiftieth anniversary of the first Moon landings, and with this came a whole host of possibilities as to what we will see in Saturday’s exciting premiere. It was clear the students were taking control and letting their own musical ideas be heard.
Final rehearsals with Dom Childs
Pianists also pushed themselves further in their final day of lessons and individual practice. With a mixture of technical focus, inquisitive thinking on styles and real presence in sound and performance, the players had no limits in what they could achieve, not only thinking in terms of tomorrow’s concert but in their long term musical developments. The progression these young pianists have made in this last week alone is truly commendable, and for many of them signals a bright and exciting musical future. The group also had organ taster sessions with Samuel Ali, which proved a great chance to try something new for all of them.
Piano lesson with Hiro Takenouchi
The afternoon saw everyone come together to rehearse the Whole School Finale for Saturday’s London concert. The musicians first refined their individual parts in two separate sections before spending the second part of the session putting all of this together as one group. Our conductors joined in with our players, taking turns on the podium to conduct both the choir and orchestra in this celebratory final showcase. The joy shown on everyone’s faces just in this short rehearsal was completely contagious and brought the positivity and energy of a concert performance already. Tomorrow night is sure to go out with a bang!
Whole School Finale rehearsal
After a week with so much going on, this evening was a lovely opportunity to let the students properly relax with a British barbecue. The sun was shining and the smell of quality food set up the atmosphere for an evening of lots of laughter and smiles. The buzz of lively conversation filled the air, as well as the competitive spirit of the more sporty amongst our students in games of football and cricket. Others were simply happy taking in the gorgeous Winchester scenery and capturing pictures of the colourful sunset. All in all a great way to end the week!
Enjoying the barbecue
It was then time to head to bed, as tomorrow will bring quite the day for our musicians! With the bar set so high this week, we can’t wait to see what unfolds tomorrow.
See more photos from this summer on our Facebook page.
Musicians of the day:
- Orchestra: Natasha, for being utterly professional, having complete commitment, being a model to everyone around her, asking questions and improving each day
- Vocal: Felicity, for singing well, being great all week and jumping in with enthusiasm
- Saxophone: Laia, for always being on it, having great rehearsal etiquette and knowing her parts really well
- Piano: Luca, for seeking advice on how to play his celeste part, playing really well with quality in his sound
- Conductor: Sydney, for energising and enthusing everyone every single day, begin positive and forward thinking, being resilient and always thinking on her feet
Our Programmes
More information on our seven programmes: Chamber Music, Composition, Conducting, Orchestral, Piano, Saxophone and Vocal.
Programmes range from 1 week to 4 weeks long. Students can attend one immersive programme, or broaden their experience by combining programmes to suit their interests.
Any Questions?
We love speaking to young musicians, teachers and families from around the world - so don't hesitate to get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!
Email: info@ingeniumacademy.com
Phone: +44 (0)20 7060 4076
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