In Touch Magazine Spring 2014

Trips and Visits

Wells Cathedral School In Touch Spring 2014

A

In Touch

Spring 2014


With best wishes - and thank you for your continuing support for Wells Cathedral School.

Head's Letter 1

Perhaps the world most needs now people who can use problem solving skills with cheerfulness and confidence, within good relationships, and with the courage to be original. The beginnings of these qualities are in these pages.We have mourned the sudden death of Ellie Rowe (Old Wellensian) during last summer, and of Jan Faulkner (musician) after long illness, and there will be more about them later in the year. Meanwhile, we remember them both in very different ways with great affection, and with gratitude for all that we learnt from them.

Looking through these proof pages I was struck again by our need to protect and develop our creativity at Wells - not just in 'creative' subjects, but in our approach to everything we do.

Welcome to the first 'In Touch' of 2014. These pages show the range of activities across the whole school, from the nursery through to the sixth form. Off course music runs through it all, and so do many other important things.

FROM THE HEAD...In this issue...

This magazine is printed on paper made from 100% recycled post consumer waste and carries the FSC label.

Wells Cathedral School, Wells, Somerset BA5 2ST

Tel: 01749 834200 www.wells-cathedral-school.com

Design by Mercer Design www.mercerdesign.co.uk

Cover image: Enjoying down-time in Canon Grange, our new boarding house

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Head’s Letter 1 Successes 2Canon Grange 2Event in the Hall 4Wonderful Willow 4Vive la différence! 6Creative Arts 7Simply Shakespeare 7Alright Guv? 8Junior School 10Celebrating Christmas 10Hey Ewe! 12 Open All Hours 14Sport 16Nick Bollettieri Visit 16Regional Stars 16Choristers 20Warm Welcome at St Paul's 20 Choral Spectacular 21Music 22Congratulations to Choralia 26Enchanting Classics 28BBC Young Musician 29Remembrance Drummers 31Trips & Visits 33Incredible Everest 33Links to Sierra Leone 36Atlas Adventures 38CCF 40Central Camp 41Foundation 42Old Wellensians 44Brilliant Bucknell 44People 46

Wells Cathedral School In Touch Spring 2014Wells Cathedral School In Touch Spring 2014

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3Successes

CANON GRANGEHOUSE

CANON GRANGE WAS OPENED IN SEPTEMBER AS A UNIQUE AND COSY HOUSE FOR SIXTH FORM GIRLS. LOCATED ON THE GREEN, THE GIRLS HAVE SPECTACULAR VIEWS OF THE CATHEDRAL AND THE BEAUTIFUL SURROUNDING BUILDINGS.

It’s a short hop to the music school, a few minutes walk to the Cedars, the epi-centre of the school; and the lovely market square - the heart of Wells - is right on the doorstep.

With Janette Shepherd as housemistress, Amy Jolly as assistant, Miranda Lewis as matron and Tracey Selway-Barry as cleaning lady, there is no doubt that this is an extremely happy and personal house.

There is never a quiet or dull moment at Canon Grange, with horn practice, visitors, loud

renditions of Arctic Monkeys’ songs, and something delicious always baking in the kitchen, watched over by the girls’ signed photo of Mary Berry.

The girls are also lucky enough to have ensuites and a dishwasher - two of the most desired perks in boarding life! The addition of Canon Grange to the boarding portfolio has been a great success and provides its girls with a warm, supportive and lively environment in which to grow, learn and flourish.

Canon Grange girls

The Great British Bake Off plays an important role in Canon Grangers’ lives and has developed into a sort of craze that has swept through the house quickly!Rebecca Toal, house captain

Succuss at Junior Maths OlympiadYear 9 pupil Sam Sutherland took part in the Junior Maths Olympiad, a follow up challenge to the Junior Maths Challenge. The top 50 students were awarded a book prize and the top 30 students awarded a gold medal. Congratulations to Sam for winning both a book and a gold medal, confirming his place in the top 30 junior mathematicians in the country.

Sam was in the first intake of our Specialist Maths Scheme, set up for talented young mathematicians. The scheme, now in its third year, is going from strength to strength, with the first few pupils looking to take their GCSE Maths exams this summer, two years early.


The Big Band rounded off the evening with rebel rousing renditions of Mony Mony and Great Balls of Fire. The event was a true Wells occasion, with families enjoying the carnival atmosphere, savouring the festival fare of Sri Lankan curry, hotdogs, and candy, and everyone dancing to the music.

Clive Anderson Talks BackLegendary radio and television presenter, and comic author, Clive Anderson, visited Wells in November, as part of the Wells Festival of Literature Education Outreach Programme.

Clive, renowned for his acerbic appearances on Have I got News for You, ITV’s News Knight and a host of popular talk shows, gave a lively talk to Wells, Strode and Wells Blue pupils in the Wells Sports Hall.

Clive was the keynote speaker at this year’s Wells Festival of Literature, and in his capacity as President of The Woodland Trust spoke about his passion for woodland with typical wit and humour.

5Successes

The Event in the HallWells played host to a sensational evening of musical entertainment in September, as revellers of all ages enjoyed the third mini music festival of this kind to raise funds for the school’s community and education projects in Sierra Leone and Sri Lanka.

The evening opened with a popular and rousing set from the talented school Big Band, and showcased energetic performances from home grown bands The Shindig, For Now and Stomp; as well as featuring a cello set. The ever popular Somerset cover band The Moondogs, introduced by Old Wellensian actor Kris Marshall, fronted a popular Beatles Medley, whilst entertaining staff band

Our community arts project, funded in part by the Wells Parents’ Association, and designed and created by some of our most artistic pupils, under the direction of art teacher Linzi Stockdale-Bridson and local willow artist Sophie Courtier, was completed earlier this year and has been proudly installed on Cedars Lawn, where it looks magnificent.

Willow Sculpture

Awesome Wells performed Bryan Adams' classic Summer of ‘69 and Robbie Williams’ Let me Entertain You. There was a striking performance by all-girl Acapela singing Beach Boys’ favourite God Only Knows and Joe Cocker’s classic Get by with a little help from my Friends; as well as a loud and lively rendition of Muse’s Plug in Baby from Old Wellensian Josh Betley’s band, which the pupils particularly enjoyed.

WALK FOR THE KIDSIn bright autumn sunshine, over 270 pupils, staff and their families enjoyed a ten mile circular walk across the Mendip Hills, taking in Ebbor Gorge, Pen Hill Mast and some of the most spectacular views of Wells and its Cathedral, before dropping back down into the city centre, to raise money for Save the Children.

The walk provides an excuse each year for a thoroughly enjoyable community day - unique to the school calendar year - with friends, family members and dogs all joining in. Many of the Wells students who took part in the walk dressed up for the occasion and costumes included ballet dancers, tigers and Robin Hood, complete with bow and arrows. Members of the CCF carried stretchers around the course, whilst the senior girls' hockey team ran the ten mile route as part of their weekly training schedule.

The walk always raises invaluable money for Save the Children; in the last six years alone, Wells has raised over £17,600. The conflict in Syria is high on the charity’s agenda this year - the number of children fleeing the country reached one million recently and they are in desperate need of the bare essentials in order to survive.

The annual charity walk is always a big Wells team effort, with staff acting as marshalls and administrators policing the course and the catering team providing everyone with steaming coffee and delicious bacon butties at the finish.

Walk organiser, house master of Cedars and English teacher, Martin Ashton said, “Many, many thanks to all those of you who contributed to such a successful morning. We raised £3,524 for Save the Children this year - a great total for a fantastic cause.”

““The evening was a huge success and we have raised a very large sum of money

for two very worthwhile school charities!” Event Organiser, Roland Ladley

Frankie Osborne and Mair Park

Year 10 walkers ready for the challenge


In September Wells pupils celebrated the European Day of Languages with a full week of exciting activities. The European Day of Languages is celebrated across the 47 member states of the European Union; with 800 million Europeans encouraged to learn more foreign languages as a powerful tool to achieve greater intercultural understanding. Scientific studies have proved that bilingualism has a positive impact on cognitive skills unrelated to language and can even help you in your old age.

Artistic TalentCongratulations to Year 11 pupil Ben Hall and to Year 12 pupil Chloe Daniels, who have won first prize and second prize respectively in their age categories in the Waitrose Art Competition ‘Food and Drink’.

The language faculty invited members of the Wells community to participate in many activities to celebrate its love for languages and the diversity within the school. Pupils listened to a Spanish piano piece by the composer Albéniz in assembly and learned about Spanish traditional melodies such as the fandango. Thanks go to Year 13 pupil Roc Fargas and Year 10 pupil Adam Heron for introducing the composer to the whole school in amazing Spanish, and to Fernando Carreira one of our fantastic Graduate Music Assistants for playing it for us.

Our very own chefs from the AS Italian class aroused everyone's culinary senses: Jamie Farrington, Tom Highnam, Alice Obradovic, Kirsty Hobkirk and Katie Le Feuvre performed a very special tiramisu demonstration in assembly and proved that Italian is a beautiful language to speak and that Italy also has a wonderful culinary tradition.

There was the opportunity to learn how to write Chinese characters, to design and make badges to celebrate the languages we all speak and study, and to learn to cook an amazing dessert from Québec - “les pets des soeurs”!

One of the highlights of the week was having the opportunity to be taught by some of the most talented Wells linguists and overseas pupils, as they stepped into the language teachers’ shoes for the ‘Languages of the World’ taster lessons. Alice Obradovic taught us some Welsh, Sasha Danilova and Victoria Creighton taught us Russian and Amelie Württemberg taught us some German.

It was a great week and as a Czech proverb says ‘Those who know many languages live as many lives as the languages they know’.

Look out for the Wells Languages Club and Cinema of the World Club to continue appreciating new languages throughout the year!

AS Italian chefs with their delicious tiramisu

Creative Arts 7

On the 7th November 32 actors and musicians from Years 7 to 10 represented Wells in the 2013 Shakespeare Schools Festival at the Egg Theatre, Bath, with their outstanding production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

This is the third year Wells have participated in the UK's largest Youth Drama Festival and wowed festival organizers and audiences with their exceptional storytelling, mature ownership of the language and live original music, and we look forward to more of the same next year!

“It was a wonderful performance which included great acting, and music, composed by the students and performed on stage with the play. They were brilliant!” Head of Creative Arts, Hilary Murphy

BRAVO SHAKESPEARE SCHOOLS FESTIVAL!Vive La Différence!

9Creative Arts

In August 40 excited junior school pupils travelled up to Scotland to take part in this summer's Edinburgh Fringe. The children, the youngest cast at the Arts Festival, put on three performances of Coffee with Guv, an electrifying musical comedy set at the end of the 1950s, written and composed for them by talented Wells head of brass, Paul Denegri.

Coffee with Guv is a heartwarming, high tempo comedy timepiece, played out to the fizzing backdrop of fifties rock and roll, youth fashion, independence and rebellion. Based on the true story of one of London’s very first youth clubs, the drama centres around The Elephant and Castle at the end of the 1950’s, where Guv, a new teacher starting work in the area attempts to bridge the gap between the vibrant young people who he teaches and their traditional, conservative adult counterparts. This sparkling light-hearted comedy,

Some of the cast of Coffee with Guv at rehearsals

Alrightfilled with a lively mix of songs and dazzling dance numbers, provided a stunning showcase for the young performers.

The cast, some of whom had only just turned eight, had an amazing week in Edinburgh, for many, their first week away from their parents and families. They put on three fantastic performances at Augustine’s, on George IV Bridge, performed songs to the Edinburgh crowds on the Royal Mile, and enjoyed trips to other Fringe shows in the evenings.


Head of drama, Judith Burns said, “This was our eighth visit to the Fringe and we were so pleased that it was a whole

Wells production – written, composed and performed by adults and children from Somerset. The trip was a great opportunity for the pupils to try out new experiences and develop new skills during the week away. We had a real mix of ages performing and a really lively bunch of children – it was a great experience for everyone involved!”


Over two chilly nights in mid-December the junior school Christmas Celebration provided a sparkling musical gala enjoyed by hundreds of parents, families and friends in the Nave of Wells Cathedral.

Junior School11A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

The festive season is embraced wholeheartedly in the junior school - from the illumination of the Wells Christmas tree lights in early December, to concerts,

house parties and the culmination of the term's musical and dramatic work in the glorious Christmas Celebration at Wells Cathedral, in the final week of term.

A showcase of dramatic, musical and choral talent, this annual festive celebration, involving children aged from 7 to 11, always provides enormous entertainment and spectacular musical variety, incorporating performances by musical ensembles,

Junior school and pre-prep pupils enjoyed donning Christmas hats for their festive lunch in the final week of the Advent term.

instrumentalists, soloists, dramatic speakers and the skilfull Junior School Choir.

This year the retiring collection supported the Disaster Emergency Committee for the Philippines Typhoon Appeal.

CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTSAt the start of December pupils and their families gathered outside Cedars to enjoy the annual illumination of the Wells Christmas tree lights. The crowd were treated to a lively set of popular carols and Christmas songs by lower school brass musicians, followed by a song from the junior pupils.


Junior School13One of the annual highlights of the festive season at Wells is the pre-prep Christmas production, and this year’s delightful performance of Hey Ewe! was no exception.

Over fifty nursery and pre-prep pupils put on three performances of this lively musical nativity to a packed Ritchie Hall, filled to bursting with proud parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, as they celebrated the story of Jesus’ birth through the eyes of a curious little sheep.

Hey Ewe! is a sweetly evocative festive tale, filled with lively songs and entertaining dance numbers. The pupils clearly enjoyed their performances immensely, with the flock of little sheep in particular, revelling in their woolly costumes, and everyone singing and dancing with enthusiasm and gusto!

Head of pre-prep, Janet Bennett said, “No two performances are ever the same! The children enjoyed the show as much as their families, and it was a lovely festive start to the Christmas celebrations.”

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The young cast of Hey Ewe! performing in the Ritchie Hall


Junior School15HarvestThe junior school harvest service was held at the start of October with pupils sending food parcels and produce to the Community of Sisters of Mercy in Bristol for distribution around the parish; and monetary donations to their chosen charity Kibera in Need, for children and adults living in the Kibera Slums in Nairobi.

OPEN ALL HOURSIn January we launched a wider provision for our nursery pupils. Children can now be dropped off from 8:15am and collected at 4:30pm; and the nursery is now open all year round rather than just during the term time.

Bristol Old VicIn the first week of the Epiphany term pupils in Year 6 visited Bristol Old Vic for a tour of the theatre and an afternoon of acting masterclasses.

They saw the props and set designs for the recent celebrated production of The Little Mermaid, were warned about the backstage ghosts and enjoyed trying out new performance techniques!

Head of drama, Judith Burns, said, "What a great creative start to the term for our most senior pupils! An excellent trip to inspire us all!"

Our robust cross junior country squad continues to thrive, with 38 pupils involved in this season’s Mendip Junior Cross Country League. CROSS COUNTRY


Sport17

Nick, based in the States, has coached many of the world’s top tennis champions at the renowned Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida, including Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Monica Seles, and

Mary Pierce. He also has worked with top players Maria Sharapova, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, Jelena Jankovi, Venus and Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, and Boris Becker, who he coached for two years.

Nick’s visit to Wells incorporated open coaching sessions with international coach Dean Cornish’s top regional players, as well as inspiring sessions with Wells’ senior tennis players. He also gave a talk on the philosophy of his teaching to an avid audience of pupils, staff and parents. Wells head of girls’ games, Gemma Pritchard said, “To have the input of a top international coach of such calibre as Nick, here at Wells and coaching our tennis players, has been truly inspirational. It has been a fantastic experience and we are delighted to have been able to have the privilege of hosting Nick.”

Pupils with Nick Bollettieri

Regional Sports StarsCongratulations to the following pupils on their selection for county sports squads:

Hockey: Year 7 pupils Callum Deans, Archie Killen, Elena Sidman and Megan Taylor; Year 8 pupils Jack Baker, Flora Cooknell, Maxim Cooper, Rebecca Farthing and Florence Lunnon; Year 9 pupils Philippa Malone, James Taylor and Benjamin Webb; Year 10 pupils Rhodri Moss and Patrick Tully; Year 11 pupils Annabelle Brown, Luke Brown, Harry Connock, Ella Felton and Miranda Manning. Netball: Holly Passmore and Olivia Smith in Year 10Rugby: Year 13 pupil Adam Keyes

Tennis TrouperPupils, staff and parents were wowed by international tennis coaching legend

Nick Bollettieri in the Trinity term, when he spent a morning coaching and giving an inspiring talk to talented school and regional players, whilst visiting Somerset

between his two Queen’s Club coaching clinics.

Netballers Olivia and Holly


NIALL MELLIS MEMORIAL MATCH

In Brief

Cross Country

Matthew Howard, an emerging

cross country talent in Year 7,

won the U13 Bath Duathlon over

half-term by over two minutes! Well done Matthew.

Badminton

Thomas Garty in Year 10 has

been selected for the Under 17

Somerset Badminton squad.

Swimming

Year 11 pupil Thomas Sinclair

has been selected to represent

Somerset in the Under 15

category of the British Swimming

Championships.

Orienteering Triumph

The first Avon Schools

Orienteering League fixture of the

year took place at the National

Arboretum, Westonbirt in January.

The frosty start quickly turned to

light rain creating even more mud

for the competitors to splash and

slide through. Congratulations to

Innes Yellowless on winning his

event and scoring the maximum

100 points for the team. The

remaining 298 points were scored

by Hugo Dodsworth, Orlando

Fraser, Myrtle Boot, Martha-Lily

Dyer and Anastasia Allen. After

this exceptional performance

we rank an impressive second in

the League, in our very first year

competing at orienteering.

Hockey InspirationIn October two Year 13 hockey players, Emily Smith and Jacob Connock, travelled to Beeston Hockey Club in the East Midlands with Wells hockey coach James Mayes, for a day of top class hockey coaching at the famous Nottingham club, with some of the best international hockey players, including current world number one Mo Furste.

THE FIRST MEETING BETWEEN THE WELLS CATHEDRAL SCHOOL RUGBY FIRSTS AND WELLS COLTS FOR THE ANNUAL NIALL MELLIS TROPHY TOOK PLACE IN LATE SEPTEMBER AND PROVIDED ENTERTAINMENT FOR A LARGE CROWD. A RAFFLE AND COLLECTION RAISED MORE THAN £300

FOR THE TEENAGE CANCER TRUST AND CLIC SARGENT.

Sport19

The training day started off with a four drill rotation between each coach, working on different skills such as drag flicks, ariels, 3D skills and deflections. In the afternoon the players took part in another rotation involving different drills aimed at fine tuning their basic knowledge of the sport. These drills included reverse hitting and passing, one to one defending and striking. Each coach demonstrated the task and taught the key coaching points. We look forward to seeing these skills applied to our next Wells games!

Emily and Jacob with international players

The day provided a fantastic opportunity to improve skills and learn technique from the very best international players and coaches, and to bring some tips back to Wells! Emily Smith, captain 1st XI

‘‘


Judith Bingham rehearsing with the choristers

Choristers21

Under Wren’s Dome

The cathedral choir’s latest recording, Judith Bingham: Choral Music, was released by Hyperion in August, and has already earned widespread critical praise, garnering a prized ‘Editor’s Choice’ award from Gramophone. The CD is available online, and from Wells Cathedral Shop.

Highlights of the reviews to date include:

On 21st November, the 49-strong Great Choir of Wells Cathedral performed a special concert at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. With an audience of nearly 600

people, the girl and boy choristers, were joined by the twelve gentlemen Vicars Choral under the famous Cathedral’s Dome, one of the largest and most gloriously ornate

Cathedral domes in the world and weighing an impressive 65,000 tons.

Visiting and singing at St Paul's Cathedral was a fantastic and memorable experience for the choristers, allowing the choir the opportunity to perform some of its favourite pieces. The repertoire included Handel’s Zadock the Priest, Parry’s I was glad, Howard Goodall’s Love divine, and Eric Whitacre’s Lux aurumque, finishing with a very energetic and joyous

performance of the iconic Hallelujah chorus from Handel’s Messiah.

Choral Music... Rave Reviews for RecordingHighly regarded recordings of the sacred choral repertoire of many important composers have given the cathedral choir a noted place in the international recording world and helped the choir gain its coveted sixth place, and the top choir with children, in Gramophone’s ranking of the top 20 choirs in the world.

Christmas with the ChoristersThe choristers had a busy Christmas, including the Advent Carol Service at the start of December, singing at the Wells Rotary Reindeer Parade, two Candlelight Concerts, with the Cathedral beautifully illuminated by thousands of candles, the Wells Cathedral Carol Service, and Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning the junior choristers returned to once again form the Great Choir for Eucharist and Mattins.

There is no greater exponent of music in the Anglican tradition than the musical forces of the cathedral in the idyllic little city of Wells in Somerset…"American Record Guide, Nov 2013

Boy choristers are joined by the cathedral’s girls for the concluding Our faith is a light, a luminescent setting highlighting the bright, gleaming quality of tone the Wells top line is currently producing." BBC Music Magazine, Oct 2013

[Bingham] has been handsomely served by the Wells forces and by Hyperion. A fine recording… Highly recommended." Choir & Organ, Oct 2013

"There is no greater exponent of music in the Anglican tradition than the musical forces of the cathedral in the idyllic little city of Wells in Somerset…" American Record Guide, Nov 2013


Music23

A selection of some of the finest clarinettists in the country were on hand to perform, teach, and meet with young musicians. For clarinettists, this was the perfect opportunity to improve their playing, meet up with fellow woodwind musicians from all over the region, and enjoy beautiful music.

This year was extra special, as masterclasses were held by renowned international soloist and chamber musician Victoria Soames Samek and leading educationalist Paul Harris. Victoria is an exciting and versatile clarinettist as well as professor of clarinet at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.

Paul Harris has an international reputation as an innovative music educator, having studied at the Royal Academy of Music. The day featured an exciting concert by the guest performers.

Earlier in the year masterclasses for Wells woodwind specialists were given by flautist Kate Hill, co-principal of the English Chamber Orchestra and

teacher at the Royal Academy of Music; and respected clarinet teacher and performer Tim Lines, who has held orchestral positions in the London Philharmonic Orchestra in addition to teaching positions at the Royal Academy and Royal College of Music, sharing a wealth of knowledge with our students.

In just ten months the new South West Saxophone Choir, as part of our Wells Music Academy outreach programme, has established a regular core of over 20 players. After the recent end of term concert in the Ritchie Hall, our latest new recruit said “I enjoyed my first session immensely, it was so different and inspiring compared to other groups I’ve played with”.

The Sax Choir is open to all Grade 6 + players and runs monthly on an informal basis on Sunday afternoons.

The hosts welcome new players at any time of the year, please see www.wellsmusicacademy.org for further information and session dates.

Kiev Music SocietyProfessor Natalia Romenska from Kiev’s National Music Academy visited the school in November. Two of her pupils, Yura and Elizabeth, gave an outstanding recital to a capacity audience followed by an inspiring and enthusiastic masterclass.

Sax Day

TRIBUTE TO NIALLAn Old Wellensian, Roy Cheung and sixth form musician, Poppy Mills, wrote and released a song over the summer in memory of their friend and fellow Wells pupil, Niall Mellis.

The song, Flower, is available on iTunes and the money raised from sales will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust, who supported Niall through his illness.

A BIG DAY FOR CLARINET PLAYERSThe much anticipated South West Clarinet Day, hosted by Kevin Murphy, head of woodwind was held on Saturday 26th October.

Welsh Sinfonia ConcertFour Wells students performed as soloists with the Welsh Sinfonia, a newly formed fully professional orchestra based in Wales, in November. Harriet Haynes performed Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4, Rita Lam performed Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Shu Odawara performed Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, and Felicity Cowell performed Vivaldi’s Oboe Concerto in A Minor.


25Music

In Brief

National Orchestras/Ensembles

The following Wells musicians

have been selected for national

ensembles this year :

National Youth Orchestra

Oliver Davis (trumpet)

Kirsty Chaplin (harp)

Edgar Francis (violin)

Joe Penaliggon (trumpet)

National Children's

Chamber Orchestra

Alicia Corr (trumpet)

Verity Guest (clarinet)

National Youth Wind Orchestra

Anna Clarke (bassoon)

Victoria Creighton (flute)

Angharad Grimwood (trumpet)

Rebecca Holman (horn)

Andrew Humphreys (horn)

Jamie Tweed (euphonium)

Benny Vernon (euphonium)

National Children's Orchestra

Meadow Brooks (percussion)

Eliza Talaman (trumpet)

Matthew Whitehead (trumpet)

Eliza Woodward (flute)

National Children’s Wind Orchestra

Poppy Webb-Taylor (oboe)

Albert Owen (trombone)

National Youth Brass Band

Jess Scott (cornet)

Year 11 pianist Kirsty Chaplin has won first place in the 2013 Bath Young Musician competition and is also celebrating after winning a prize at the Moray International Piano Competition.

Kirsty played a programme of Prokofiev, Glinka and Ravel to a capacity audience in the Bath Pump Rooms and received a prolonged ovation. The local press commented that ”at just 15, she is already a consummate performer and there is clearly a lot more to come".

As well as the prestigeous title, Kirsty received a cash prize and several concert engagements.

Kirsty has also been awarded third prize at this year’s celebrated Moray International Piano Competition. Kirsty was the youngest competitor in the advanced section of the competition, which attracted 23 pianists from a variety of European and Asian countries.

Kirsty is the third Wells pianist to win a major prize in this prestigious competition in the last five years.

“ AT JUST 15, SHE IS ALREADY A CONSUMMATE PERFORMER AND THERE IS A LOT MORE TO COME...

‘oh ’ vati�

Piano Masterclass - Ashley WassDescribed as an ‘endlessly fascinating artist’ Ashley Wass is firmly established as one of the leading performers of his generation. He is the only British winner of the London International Piano Competition, prizewinner at the Leeds Piano Competition, and a former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist.

Increasingly in demand on the international stage, Ashley has performed at many of the world’s finest concert halls including Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall and the Vienna Konzerthaus. Ashley gave a fantastic masterclass to Wells pianists on 26th November.


Congratulations to talented young pianist Lulwa Al Shamlan in Year 8 who has been chosen as a second place winner of the American Protégé International Competition of Romantic Music 2013. The Winners’ Recital will be held on Saturday, March 29th at the Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Lulwa will be playing Mendelssohn’s Rondo Capriccioso Op. 14 at Carnegie Hall.

The 50-year-old competition features three choruses in three categories - youth, adult and an open category for choruses that perform music within a specific cultural tradition. Choralia performed in the grand finals which took place in the Philharmonie concert hall in Luxembourg in mid-October. They sang against two other youth choirs, one from Spain, called the Cor Amics Infantil de la Unio, the other, the Choeur Robert Schuman Chor from Luxembourg. Choralia gave a beautiful performance, but were pipped to first place by the Cor Amics Infantil de la Unio.

The final was a major event with eight choirs participating live or via satellite, taking the form of a live three-hour concert to European Broadcasting Union members, including the BBC in the UK.

Choralia with musical director Christopher Finch

The 'Let the Peoples Sing' competition has been held biennially since 1968 and is considered bymany to be the most important choral competition in the world. It is organised by the European Broadcasting Union which invites each national broadcaster to enter the finest choirs from their country to participate in a fiercely competitive showcase.

Choralia, the school’s senior girls’ choir, is formed from members of the Wells Chapel Choir. Only a small number of the singers, aged 14 to 18, are top vocal specialists, others are instrumental specialists and talented singers who perform purely for the love of singing and as a diversion from their busy academic, sporting and creative pursuits. The group includes some former girl choristers from Wells Cathedral.

Wells Cathedral School Choralia, an upper-voice choir consisting of 25 Wells girls conducted bydistinguished choral conductor, Christopher Finch, made musical history this year with its selection as the first British finalist for over a decade in the prestigious BBC and European Broadcasting Union competition ‘Let the Peoples Sing’.

Choral SplendourTheir three-piece programme for the finals offered a variety of beautiful but technically demanding vocal music, including a dark and intense O Clavis David by contemporary Polish composer Pawel Łukaszewski, alongside two British works, Gustav Holst’s angelic Ave Maria and Tarik O’Regan’s joyful Alleluia, laus et gloria.

Choralia musical director, Christopher Finch said, “It was an immense achievement for the girls to have made it through to the finals of this incredible competition, and even more remarkable considering that they triumphed over many established choirs, despite having formed only a year ago.”

Choralia was featured on BBC Radio 3’s flagship programme The Choir earlier in September, which included an interview with Christopher Finch that was broadcast alongside four pieces that the girls had recorded specifically for the BBC.

In the autumn, they were invited to tour alongside jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen, and Norwegian organist Ståle Storløkken, at three of the UK’s most prestigious musical venues - The Sage in Gateshead, LSO St Luke’s in London, home to the London Symphony Orchestra, and St George’s Bristol.

The musicians and singers performed Andrew Smith’s moving reflection on the tragic massacre on Utøya in Norway, loosely based on the Roman Catholic requiem mass, and combined Arve Henriksen’s unique improvisation with the singers’ notated score to create music of deep reflective beauty. Requiem was dedicated to young, innocent victims of conflict everywhere, and in particular to those who lost their lives at Utøya on 22 July 2011.

Music27

LULWA SHINES


29Music

After an extensive audition process, involving over 450 entries from musicians aged between 8-18 years old, just five finalists for each musical category have been chosen for the category finals in early March.

Tom’s percussion final will take place on 4th March in the Dora Stoutzker Hall, at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. The overall semi-final follows on 9th March,

BBC YOUNG MUSICIAN

Cellist SuccessIn September cellist Sasha Boult competed in the International Music Competition ‘The Muse’ 2013″which took place on the Greek island of Santorini. Attracting young musicians from all over the world, including several from the Moscow Conservatory, Sasha won second prize in her age category, playing Shostakovich and Cassado, and went on to perform in the Prize-winners Gala Concert.

Celebrity MasterclassAs part of the string department's celebrity masterclasses series we were delighted to welcome back So-Ock Kim, the brilliant and dazzling Korean virtuoso violinist, in mid-November.

Born in Seoul in 1982, So-Ock Kim moved to London at the age of three. At fifteen she was the youngest ever winner of the Gold

Medal in the prestigious Shell - London Symphony

Orchestra Competition playing the Tchaikovsky Concerto in the Barbican Hall.

So-Ock Kim has given numerous critically-acclaimed performances around the world and at the Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival Hall and Barbican Hall in London. Abroad she has toured throughout Asia, Europe and the United States, performing concertos and recitals in various international music festivals.

ENCHANTING CLASSICSIn mid-November Wells welcomed internationally acclaimed cellist Jamie Walton as he made a rare concert appearance in the school’s Enchanting Classics concert at Wells Cathedral. Jamie performed Elgar's evocative Cello Concerto with the school symphony orchestra - a fantastic opportunity for our young musicians to experience playing with such a talented soloist.

““I owe everything to Wells. Playing with the

school's wonderful symphony orchestra

fulfils a life-long dream.” Jamie Walton

before the BBC Young Musician Final on 18th May 2014 at Usher Hall in Edinburgh. BBC Young Musician will be broadcast extensively on BBC Four and BBC Radio 3.

Four other Wells musicians reached the semi-finals of their categories: pianists Nurry Lee and Adam Hickox, and flautists Victoria Creighton and Elizabeth Whitehead. Congratulations to them and to Tom.

"The category finalists show a remarkable level and breadth of talent. We’re looking forward to continuing to work with these outstanding young musicians over the coming months and watching their progress through to the 2014 final."

Year 12 percussionist Tom Highnam has reached the category finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2014.

‘‘ Kerry Clark, BBC Young Musician Competition Manager, said:


Music31Horsing AboutIn mid-November Wells trumpeters gave a rousing fanfare to Strider and his owner William Reddaway when they visited Wells Cathedral on the home stretch of their charity ride to the four corners of England to raise money for charity.

Lest We ForgetOn Remembrance Sunday, Wells musicians took a central role in Remembrance services in and around the city. Twelve drummers from the school Combined Cadet Force Drum Core led the Wells parade from St Cuthbert’s Church for the very first time; whilst twelve trumpeters performed The Last Post and Reveille at Remembrance Services in Wells and the surrounding villages.

Making Wells proud - members of the CCF marching through the city on Remembrance Sunday

The drummers were Rebecca Ager, Meadow Brooks, Lucy Caston, Alexander Henshaw, Thomas Highnam, Samuel Howes, Jack Maguire, William Parsons, Thomas Roberts, Floyer Sydenham, Jack Whitehead and Robbie Wills. Trumpeters included Charlie

Fraser who played at Wookey Hole, Angharad Grimwood who played at West Lydford, Alice Lowry who played at Bruton, William Mead who played at Wookey, Mair Park who played at Draycott, Jess Scott who played at Bath, Meghan Shepherd who played at Coxley, Ruby Sweetland who played at Winscombe, Eliza Talman who played at Rode and Matthew Whitehead who played at Castle Cary. Trumpeter Rebecca Toal played at the evening Wells Cathedral School Armistice Day

Service and the morning service at Wells Cathedral; Ruairidh Matthews played at the Wells Cathedral Junior School morning service. Paul Denegri, Wells’ Head of Brass, played, as usual, at Ditcheat and East Pennard.

In Brief

Adam Heron

Year 10 pianist, Adam Heron,

won two classes in the

Birmingham Music Festival in

October, and was awarded the

Denis Matthews Memorial Bowl

in the Associated Board Grade

Eight Open competition, and the

Lady Wilson Challenge Cup in the

Under 16 class.

Edward Creed

Pianist Edward Creed in Year 11

recently made his concert debut

with the Taunton Sinfonietta

playing Mozart’s Piano Concerto

in F Major. The performance is

part of his prize as winner of the

Taunton Young Musician of the

Year competition.

William Fox

Current Junior Organ Scholar

at Wells Cathedral, William Fox,

gained his Associate of the Royal

College of Organists diploma in

the summer, and has accepted the

Organ Scholarship at Hereford

Cathedral from next September.

Percussion Performance

On Saturday 19th October

percussionist Alexander Henshaw

in Year 10 was invited to perform

the marimba solo Little Prayer

by Evelyn Glennie. The concert

was held at the United Church in

Dorchester.

Percussion Workshop

“What an honour for our musicians to be involved in such a special way with our communities across Mid Somerset.Head of Percussion, Jayne Obradovic

At the start of January the Wells percussion department and the Somerset Hearing Support team held a percussion workshop for hearing-impaired students from across Somerset, part of a number of projects which the percussion team are working towards in Somerset, Devon and Budapest in Hungary.

Sixth form percussion students, head of percussion Jayne Obradovic and percussion teachers Matt Hardy and Peter Handley organised an afternoon of musical exploration and fun, providing an exciting and creative opportunity for a group of local hearing-impaired children.

In mid-January, the percussion team also travelled to Exeter, accompanied by a BBC film crew, to run a similar workshop for hearing-impaired pupils at the Royal Deaf school in Exeter.

The afternoon started with a percussion performance by the Wells percussionists for the youngsters and their families, followed by a practical workshop for the children. The afternoon was rounded off with a lovely performance by the children for their families at the end of the session.

In July they will fly out to Budapest to run similar workshops for Hungarian children. The British Council have invited the team to work on a music project there called '90 Decibels'.

Trips and Visits


33

Over the half term break a group of nine pupils and two teachers experienced an incredible, once in a lifetime, trip to the Himalayas and an expedition to the Base Camp of Mount Everest, enjoying 18 days of action packed adventure.

Mountain

Trips and Visits 33

We Climbed a

Primary School Christmas Concerts On three magical evenings in December, Wells Cathedral rang out to the joyous sound of hundreds of local young children singing Christmas carols with gusto at the Wells Christmas Concerts for local primary schools.

The concerts, which take place at the Cathedral over three evenings at the start of December each year, are always a lively and musical start to the festive season for many children and their proud families, who come from across Somerset to join in the celebratory atmosphere. This year pupils from 31 local schools took part in the services, involving almost 900 young children. Music teachers in participating

schools are sent the music for the concert programme early in the school term by the team from Wells Music Academy, so that the pupils can learn and practise the songs and carols in their school music lessons in advance of the concerts. The pupils then commune for an afternoon, in three separate choirs over the three days, to rehearse the songs together, with Wells Director of Music, Dorothy Nancekievill.

This year’s programme incorporated three congregational carols, as well as popular Christmas songs such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, the Calypso Carol and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. Conducted by Dorothy Nancekievill, lower school musicians from Wells provided the music and instrumental pieces for the concerts, whilst pupils from Year 7 presented the readings.

Trips and Visits


35

The group, made up of 15 to 17 year olds, accompanied by director of sport Martin Swarfield and sports teacher Lisa Panes, flew in to Kathmandu and from there on to Lukla,

situated in the heart of the Himalayas and rated the most dangerous airport in the world. The group were joined by an excellent in-country guide called Ang Chung, plus two amazing sherpas, Pasang and RB, who had accompanied the school on a previous trip to Everest. From Lukla the group trekked

across incredible countryside upward to the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar, following the valley of the Dudh Kosi river. The village is a central hub of the area, and the team

were able to pick up food and equipment here. After some acclimatisation, they then trekked for another two days to Dingboche at 4,260 metres, before travelling to Everest Base Camp on the Nepalese side of the great mountain.

Following their ascent, the following day the group climbed the Kala Patthar, a notable landmark on the south ridge of the Nepalese Himalayas, and at 5,545m, higher than Everest Base Camp. There they viewed Everest and the beauty of the surrounding summits in all their glory.

Later in the trip the team also enjoyed white water rafting on the Trishuli River, where they experienced exciting rapids as well as stunning scenery.

Everest explorers enjoying some of the dramatic scenery

Geography in Bristol In October, Year 13 geography students enjoyed a day’s field trip in Bristol visiting ten different locations, ranging from the suburban fringe to the city's old docklands, and on to its new areas of retail and high technology industry. Highlights of the day included a boat trip around the Floating Harbour, completing site uses and quality charts and environmental quality surveys. The negative effect of Cribbs Causeway on Broadmead shopping centre was clearly noticeable, but the new Cabot Circus has visibly pulled visitors and shoppers back to the city centre.

GERMAN EXCHANGEThe languages faculty instigated this year’s German exchange by welcoming 17 students from the Liebigsschule in Frankfurt for one week in October.

Despite a late arrival, our German partners had a busy week fitting in a visit to the Roman Baths and the Fashion Museum in Bath, where visitors dressed up 17th century-style; a trip to our beautiful Cathedral in Wells; and a day at Longleat in poor weather, which showed them what England could really be like, but did not dampen their spirits… proving it by spending a lot of money the next day at the farmers’ market!

All attended some lessons on the Wednesday, taking part in science, business studies and even learning Chinese calligraphy with our Chinese Mandarin assistant.

The next leg of the journey will be a visit to Frankfurt in March for 17 Wells students, to immerse themselves in German for a week and hopefully return to Somerset bilingual!

Director of sport, Martin Swarfield said,

“It was a challenging and inspiring trip for us all and a once in a lifetime experience for a great group of pupils. We had an incredible time.”


SIERRA LEONE

to Sierra Leone to continue the school's charity link there. Over the course of an 11-day stay the students worked in two schools: the Ballanta Academy of Music and the JT Reffell primary school. Specialist musicians taught one-to-one masterclasses; Gabriel Whitehead undertook the overhaul of the recording studio at the Ballanta; whilst in the primary school, students spent their days teaching drama, art, sport and singing. Outreach concerts at a number of local schools, as well as high profile concerts at the British High Commissioner's residence and at the British Council were played, with audiences comprised of professionals living in Freetown. At the British High Commission students met diplomats working for the British Foreign Office of the EU and other international NGOs, which gave a real insight into how foreign aid is deployed in the country.

Staying in the heart of the city the students picked up the unique flavour of Sierra Leonean culture - there was a 5km saunter around Freetown, a trip to the local chimpanzee sanctuary, and a day spent at the beach, plus a trip to Congo town, one of the main slum areas in the city, and a visit to the Aberdeen Women's Clinic, a hospital specialising in post-pregnancy complications. In both places students played music and sang, bringing a different type of sunshine into the lives of Sierra Leoneans. Typically, efforts were received with enthusiastic cheering and clapping and a huge amount of goodwill. Old Wellensian, Helen May, joined the pupils for the trip and agreed to stay in Freetown until Christmas in an effort to optimise the running of the Ballanta Academy of Music and help develop its long term strategies.

URING THE OCTOBER HALF TERM, 14 STUDENTS AND THREE MEMBERS OF STAFF TRAVELLED

Trips and Visits 37Visiting ParliamentWells sixth formers were treated to an eye-opening day out in London earlier this year when they were taken on a tour of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

After an early start and journey east, the students arrived in the capital and made their way to the Houses of Parliament. After being taken down numerous corridors and into rooms full of breathtaking art and architecture, the students visited the House of Commons, followed by a tour of the House of Lords.

“The sense of history within the building was tangible and we all felt very privileged to have been given the opportunity to tread in the footsteps of our country's most significant politicians and monarchs.” Eleanor Kirwan, Year 13

Following the tour pupils met up with local Wells MP, Liberal Democrat, Tessa Munt. She enlightened the group on her journey to becoming a politician, and also on the work that she has done recently to tackle the problem of tax evasion. Her enjoyment of the job and enthusiasm was inspiring.



Trips and Visits 39Part of the time was spent with Berber families learning about their way of life through cooking, washing and tending to the crops and

animals. The remainder was in two construction projects: building a toilet block for the village school, and also a waste incinerator, under the supervision of the locals. The work was hard and physical but

ultimately extremely worthwhile as both projects were seen to completion. Following the Residential Project came the expedition. As in the UK, the

participants have to complete a self-sufficient four day trek in a mountainous area. With temperatures soaring, each group set off before 7am to complete their eight hours of planned activity. The routes

Students in Morocco

proved to be challenging at times, Moroccan maps were not as good as our O.S. equivalents leading to some interesting detours! The groups impressed with their morale in the hot and dusty Toubkhal region, with the theme to the Lion King and Livin' on a Prayer echoing across the spectacular mountain passes! Marrakech was an ideal base for a little site-seeing and haggling in the souks before returning home following a successful trip.

David Rowley and Lisa Panes were very impressed with determination shown by all three teams in Morocco.

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award at Wells continues to go from strength to strength with over 30 participants at Gold level, 44 Silver and 46 Bronze. For the first time the Gold assessed expedition went to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.

The group of 17 Gold participants spent five days engaged in the 'Residential Project' component of their Gold award before their four day expedition.

AdventureUnder the Stars

With Moroccan friends

TENACITY IS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE DOFE AWARDS AT ANY LEVEL; IT IS GREAT TO SEE THE NUMBER OF COMPLETIONS CONTINUE TO INCREASE. David Rowley

“


CCF4152 ParticipantsJustina Alexandroff, Will Bailey, Beth Baker, Chelsea Baron, Josh Bartram, Tamsin Birkett, Leo Boot, Belle Brown, Molly Bruce, Iona Chadwick, Harry Connock, Elly Cooper-Grifiths, Miles Corum, Cameron Davidson, Orlaith Duddy, Caroline Easterfield, Ella Felton, Ed Firbank, Joe Fone, Shay Ford, Alex and Francis Forsey, Charlie Fraser, Annie Green, Lydia Guest, Ben Hall, Sam Harris, Lloyd Howell, George Hutchinson, Guy James, Finn Lacey, Sam and Issac Lapworth, Jess Lindsay, Henry Lockyer, Sally Manasseh, Mimi Manning, Issy May, Isabelle Meek, Lily Nicholson, Elle Padgett, Miranda Parkinson, Greg Pierce, Sophie Powell, Izzie Slattery, Barney Spooner, Ruby Sweetland, Hattie Tully, Thomas Vaughan, Matthew Wheeler, Robbie Wills, Dorothee Wurttemberg

Number of participants who did not complete the expedition0

426kmTotal distance walked by all 9 groups

14,193mTotal height climbed by all 9 groups

9 Expedition GroupsConnock & Co, Bodmin Beasts, Pacemakers, Team Intense, Team Noodles, Team Republic, Team Extreme, Wrong Direction, Greg and the Musicians

241Rashes of bacon cooked for the final breakfast

472Satellite tracking messages sent using the Spot 2 Messenger system

Rainfall in Kentmere 18 - 22 Oct 2013

Lake District 18 - 22 Oct 2013 Silver Expeditions

520milesDistance travelled by Coach from Wells to Kentmere and back

With the school’s end of year Speech Day drawing to a close at the end of the Trinity term, driver, pupils and staff were all eager to start the 275 mile journey north to Wathgill Training Camp, for a week of activities, adventures and fun.

Military training camps have a familiar feel to them and there was a sense of nervous excitement amongst the arriving students, as they were greeted

by Warrant Officer Tonks. The adventurous training activities included orienteering and leadership with the Sheffield University Officer Training Corp, rock climbing,

Central Camp 2013

kayaking, raft building, canoeing and a high ropes course. The military training included advanced tactics, involving blank firing section attacks, a range

day using the Cadet GP 5.56 and Light Support Weapon, military obstacle course and the Dismounted Close Combat Trainer. Parents and teachers alike would have

been amazed by the speed at which the 20 Cadets, led by Sgt Andrew Humphreys and Sgt William Cottrell, adapted to life on camp. Standards of drill

and personal administration improved rapidly as students marched around camp, proud to be representing the CCF and the school.

"Major Barnard, who has attended several camps in his CCF career, declared it to be the best camp ever!" said Chris Rondel

50:5066mm


Annual Fellowship AwardsWe were delighted to bestow the accolade of Foundation Fellow on Old Wellensian and successful comedian and musician, Vikki Stone (1999-2001); renowned trombonist and much admired trombone teacher, Alan Hutt, who retired from Wells after thirty extraordinary years of service in July 2013; and Old Wellensian and celebrated artists Justin Mortimer (1981-1988).

43Foundation

SUPPORTING OUR HONG KONG SOCIETYOctober saw the return of specialist musicians to Hong Kong, this time featuring Shu Odawara, Harriet Haynes, Rita Lam and Cyrus Cheng. Supported by head of strings Matthew Souter and school accompanist Dominic Hansom, they took their repertoire to three local schools, giving joint concerts and master classes.

The showcase was a concert in St John’s Cathedral, to a capacity crowd, where former pupil and now professional pianist Jacqueline Leung (1994-2001) joined our musicians to perform a Schumann quintet.

Tickets for our first charity fundraising event for the Society, held at the prestigious Hong Kong Club, were sold out in four days and raised much-needed funds for our Hong Kong Scholars Scheme.

Our Bursaries AppealWe are delighted that former pupil Max Costantini (1978-89), who is a recent Foundation Trustee and leads our Bursary Fundraising Committee, is helping us to launch a new Bursaries Appeal. Max says, "This appeal will run over the next ten years or so and will help raise substantial funds to bring and keep deserving children here. Wells Cathedral School is without endowment and so the responsibilities to encourage talented children to the school, regardless of family background and irrespective of financial circumstance, rests with us all." A new brochure will be circulated to all our friends and supporters over the coming months.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Former Wells specialist music student, now international ‘cellist, Jamie Walton, has already recorded Elgar’s renowned Cello Concerto to great acclaim. This November he returned to Wells to perform this much loved and thought provoking work with our own Symphony Orchestra.

This was a landmark event for Jamie who had to leave the school because of a family illness before he ever had the opportunity to perform a concerto piece in his final year in the Cathedral. This prestige concert helped to raise £10,000 for the Cedars Hall appeal, of which Jamie is patron.

For more information about the Cedars Hall appeal, visit www.wellsfoundation.org.uk

Left to right: Shu Odawara with Dominic Hansom and Cyrus Cheng at Hong Kong’s oldest school, Ying Wa College, Kowloon

MEET OUR LATEST FOUNDATION FELLOWS

International Cellist & Old Wellensian Jamie Walton returned to perform the...

from top Vikki Stone, Alan Hutt and Justin Mortimer

Trips and Visits


Old Wellensiansi

Talented conductor and harpsichordist, Christopher Bucknall, is a rising star both on the concert platform and in the opera house, sharing his passion for bringing music from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries alive. With conducting performances in the Wigmore Hall and The Norwegian National Opera alongside keyboard concertos and chamber music throughout the UK and Europe, Christopher's versatility brings both popular and less known music to modern audiences.

45Over the summer Old Wellensian pianist Daniel Evans took part in the celebrated Tel-Hai International Piano Masterclasses which take place each year in Tel Aviv.

He performed with great skill during the course and was awarded second place in the prestigious Concerto Competition, and will have the honour of playing the concerto with the Raanana Symphonette Orchestra in Israel at a date to be confirmed.

Dan left Wells last July to continue with his keyboard studies at the Guildhall School of Music and drama.

Piano Skills

Last Night of the Proms - Iestyn DaviesOld Wellensian countertenor Iestyn Davies received a last-minute call to take part in the Last Night of the Proms as the soloist in Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms. He was able to fit in just one full rehearsal on the day of the actual concert before performing with conductor Marin Alsop and the BBC Symphony Orchestra on the night.

Christopher left Wells in 1996, following a successful tenure as deputy-head chorister. He furthered his studies at Lincoln College, Oxford on an organ scholarship, where he was responsible for directing the Chapel music. In 2008 Christopher graduated from the Royal Academy of Music with a distinction for his post-graduate diploma, studying harpsichord and fortepiano.

Christopher made his conducting debut at the Wigmore Hall and has also conducted critically acclaimed productions of Monteverdi, Handel, and Purcell. He has worked extensively for Glyndebourne Festival Opera, English National Opera and English Touring Opera.

On the concert platform, Christopher has appeared directing the International Baroque Players, The Norwegian Wind Ensemble and The Rare Theatricall in varied repertoire ranging from Monteverdi through to Mozart.

At the start of December Christopher conducted the BBC Singers, The Norwegian WindEnsemble and an international team of young soloists in sublime performances of Bach'sChristmas Oratorio, broadcast live from the magnificent surroundings of one of Oslo's biggest and most beautiful churches, Trefoldighetskirken - a masterpiece of Baroque choral music that was relayed on both British and Norwegian radio.

Just before Christmas he was the organist in a performance of Bach’s cantata Geist und Seele Wird Verwirret, BWV 35with The King’s Consort at Wigmore Hall. A busy festive season has led seamlessly into ahardworking start to 2014, with Christopher conducting Handel’s Alcina with the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo throughout January and February. An active year lies ahead for one of our most talented musical alumni!

www.christopherbucknall.com @harpsichris

Photo courtesy of Venetia Alkema

Peoplei46

Bounding SuccessWell done to Laura Gallagher, Reception assistant, on her success at the World Trampoline Championships in the autumn. Laura helped the three strong British Women’s team to victory and a set of shining gold medals.

At the start of the academic year we welcomed a plethora of new colleagues to the Wells family:

NEW BABIESCongratulations to Martin and Anna on the safe arrival of Christian Ashton, Hetty and Sam on the safe arrival of Ethan, and to Chris and Nicola on the safe arrival of Katherine Eldridge.

Chris Eldrige, head of history; Gillian Hoadley, mathematics teacher; James Mayes, history, classics and hockey teacher; Jeremy Meddows-Taylor, music teacher; Lara Williams, English teacher; and Edward Payne as the Graduate Sports Assistant. To the languages faculty we welcomed Maria José Fons Ordiñana, French and Spanish teacher, Claudia Alabiso, French, Spanish and Italian teacher, Jiayu Bai as our new Chinese Mandarin assistant, Angela Legault Maillé as our new French language assistant. Sally Rowley has become head of sixth form whilst Jonathan Barnard took over as academic head of Years 10 and 11.

In the junior school we welcomed Kate Dennis as a Key Stage 2 teacher, Violaine James-

Cudworth as a French teacher, Juliet Knollys as head of learning support, and Michael Carroll-Rossiter and Daniel Barker, as teaching assistants.

In the music school we have been joined by Lorna Anderson, Andrew Harwood-White, Daniel Moult, Karen Street and Emily White as VMS; whilst Edward Pick, Lydia Scadding and Gus Tredwell have joined the accompanist team.

This year our GMAs are Amy Bladon, Fernando Carreira Galban, James Donaldson, Katharina Fritzsche, Amy Hughes, Emily Jones, Katherine Roberts and Octavia Serrano; whilst Sally Francis has joined the Concerts team.

Sarah Meally has become the houseparent of Edwards, Janette

Shepherd the houseparent of the new Canon Grange house, with Miranda Lewis the new matron there, whilst Sian Evans has become the new matron of Shrewsbury. Amy Jolly, James Mayes, Edward Payne, Charlotte Rondel and Mary Walker are the house assistants at Canon Grange, Cedars, Shrewsbury, Haversham and Claver Morris, respectively.

Finally, we extend a warm welcome to our two new antipodean gappies who joined us in January: Jackson Garrells and Jessica Squires.

New Year, New Team

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In Touch Magazine Spring 2014

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