Music News

New Chapel Choir CD

Pre-order your copy of the new Chapel Choir CD. £10 each. Songs include classic choral pieces such as Lead me Lord, I waited for the Lord and hymns such as For the Beauty of the Earth, Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer and Shine Jesus Shine. Also includes the whole school singing favourite hymns and the much loved Rossall “Carmen”. 

Contact Mr Corrie to order your copy! S.corrie@rossall.org.uk

Sweet Treat

Year 8 pupil Lauren Stephens danced the night away this weekend performing a piece from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to a wide audience at the famous Blackpool Winter Gardens on Saturday 18^th June.

Having danced for 5 years, Lauren was delighted to be the only one from her theatre school, Thornton’s Starlight Stage School, to be part of “The HITS” show.

Following a successful audition and countless rehearsals Lauren thoroughly enjoyed performing the show and looks forward to her next one.

Come Blow Your Horn

Sixth Form student, Mark Harding is not one to sound off about anything, but that’s exactly what he’ll be expected to do now one of the Country’s leading orchestras has come calling.

The seventeen-year-old Rossall student is to join the wind section of the prestigious National Youth Orchestra, having blown away the competition with his skill on the French Horn during an audition in London. Mark is already established as Principal Horn with Manchester’s Hallé Youth Orchestra, which he joined two years ago, but his elevation to the NYO is a major step on the road towards realizing his ambition of joining the Royal Academy and becoming a professional musician with a leading orchestra. 

The Cleveleys youngster has been demonstrating his musical prowess for parents Andrew and Vivienne from the age of six, but has flourished in Rossall’s musical environment; cutting his teeth as lead cornet player for the School’s Combined Cadet Force band and also its up and coming jazz band. His obvious talent will now see him attend two courses with the NYO in Oxford and Durham before performing national concerts with the full orchestra, which will include an appearance on the BBC Proms season in 2011.

In amongst all the glamour of stage performances, Mark will still have his sights set on more mundane, but equally important AS and A-Level study, as he looks to get the grades required to go on to obtain a music degree. He’s a young man with his feet firmly on the ground, and knows how much hard work is involved. He comments: “To get this opportunity is fantastic, because the NYO is the top orchestra for musicians of my age in the UK. I know though that I have to maintain good grades and study hard if it’s to result in a career in music, but I get great support here at school, so I’m sure I’ll be able to combine everything next year.”

Rossall’s Director of Music, Margaret Young is equally delighted that Mark is on the first rung of a career in music. She said: “It’s a great honour for Mark to join the NYO, but he’s earned the right to be there because of his obvious talent. It’s also wonderful for the school to have such a talented musician in the Country’s leading youth orchestra and we’re all proud of his achievement.”

Mark has already toured in Europe with the Hallé, most recently in Italy, but now has a chance to practise his skills on a global stage with NYO tours in coming years."

Music Marathon hits the right note ..... and holds it for 24 hours 

Children at Rossall have hit the right note in their attempt to raise funds for the school choir and local charities…the only problem is they had to hold it for a full day, as they embarked on a 24-hour festive music marathon.

Infants, juniors and senior pupils were watching the clock run down from 12.30pm to 12.30pm the next day, as they took part in a non-stop music performance right through the day and night in the school chapel. 

An orchestra, jazz band, our own School Choir and virtuoso performances from pupils covering every musical genre filled the air on campus, and at midnight on Thursday, the mid-point of the marathon was marked by a Concert by candlelight, which the was enjoyed by a packed congregation of parents and teachers.

The marathon reached its end in front of the whole school during the Friday chapel service.

Commenting on the event, organiser and Rossall director of music, Margaret Young said: “The children were more excited about this event than almost any other we’ve staged. It could have something to do with the fact that some of them got to stay up late, but I’m sure it’s also excitement that they get to perform to hundreds of people over the 24-hour period.

“Of course, the younger children only played their part during the day and did not participate through the night, for obvious reasons, but they all played a vital role because keeping the performance going for 24 hours was be a major feat and possibly some kind of record for school children. We haven’t set out to break any records, but if we do that’ll be a great bonus.”

It has already been a record year for music at Rossall, with the choir having performed in places such as York Minster and St Mark’s Basilica in Venice. And, former pupil and electro pop sensation ‘Little Boots’ (Victoria Hesketh) taking the music charts by storm with her first album.