Great sounds of secondary school music

04 Jun 2021

With four choirs, three chamber music ensembles and the combined Christ’s College and St Margaret’s College orchestra performing, Wednesday night’s Combined Annual Music Concert in the Assembly Hall was a musical feast.

It was also the perfect prelude to the 11 June annual Big Sing Regional Competition in the Christchurch Town Hall – which will see all the choirs performing and competing – and the following week’s Chamber Music Competition.

The Combined Annual Music Concert opened with Nick Coxon and Sarah Hickford co-directing the Combined Orchestra, which was led by Justin Hodges. It presented music by Ralph Vaugh Williams and Alan Menkin, and was followed by the St Margaret’s College Chamber Choir directed by Rachel Wilford and accompanied by HsingYin Lin.

The Berlin Trio of Sean Jang, James Drury and Ryan Gu performed a Trio in A minor Opus 188 Movement 1 by Carl Reinecke, and the College Chapel Choir co-directed by Robert Aburn and Nicholas Sutcliffe (also accompanied by Nicholas Sutcliffe), presented three works including Whakamanawa ki e Atua. The St Margaret’s Beati Trio and the school’s Middle School Choir performed works by Beethoven and Eric Clapton. The Arnold Trio of Justin Hodges, Joshua Hooker and Bruce Chen, performed a Trio by Arnold Mendelssohn and the evening concluded with College’s Schola Cantorum directed by Robert Aburn and Nicholas Sutcliffe (also accompanied by Nicholas Sutcliffe), performing three works, and featuring the string trio of Justin Hodges, Joshua Hooker and Bruce Chen.

The audience of College Friends of the Choir and Music, parents and supporters were all very appreciative of the evening’s programme and joined the performers afterwards for refreshments in the foyer.