Ahoy there, me hearties!

Our Spring Concerts had a nautical flavour with thrilling performances of well-known sea shanties from many of our groups. The afternoon performance included a very enthusiastic Indonesian Gamelan by Years 3 and 4, and Year 2 gave us a wonderfully creative composition based on a poem with all of them playing instruments and holding puppets. Berky Bows played some expressively-shaped pieces and Jazz band made a terrific sound of brass, wind and rhythm sections as they marched through the audience and onto the stage whilst playing a gospel medley. Junior Choir entertained with two action songs, complete with a Big Hole Gang in hard hats and hi-vis jackets. Finally, Jigsaw took their place with all pupils from Years 2 to 4 performing an exciting version of ‘Drunken Sailor’.

The evening concert featured more items from Years 5 and 6 with Jazz Combo casting off with their fluent jazz solos. Chamber Ensemble performed a terrific piece about the tragedy of the Mary Rose with wonderful ‘cannon’ and ‘sinking’ sound effects from the sliding strings. The delicate sounds of the Berky Blowers in their rhythmical renditions of ‘Rock around the Clock’ and ‘Grandfather’s Clock’ followed. Firing an acoustic broadside, we were transported in the Tardis! A radiophonic symphony of Dr. Who themes by the Keyboard Orchestra was a dramatic tack before we were getting underway again with VoxBox and ‘I’m Gonna Sing’. The grand finale was ‘Ahoy! Sing for the Mary Rose!’ by composer Alexander L’Estrange. He has fused sea shanties with Tudor songs, arranged for two choirs, accompanied by a jazz group including an accordion and solo violin. The resulting medley of songs, music and narration was by turns, fast and exciting, gentle and lyrical and sad and wistful. The Berky Parents’ and Friends’ Choir worked hard to remain ship-shape and made a tremendous sound. Wahey!