Head's Newsletter - 21 January 2022

MUSIC NEWS

Highlights from the Autumn Term music calendar can now be found here in the Autumn 2021 edition of The Baton Music Newsletter: Festivals of Lessons and Carols The Tiffin community celebrated the end of the Autumn term and the beginning of the Christmas season with two carol services on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th December. On Wednesday, the service sung by the Tiffin Boys ’ Choir began, as is tradition, with a solo treble leading the congregation in the first carol: Once In Royal David ’ s City. There followed both choir and congregational carols which included beautiful choral singing of Britten ’ s Hymn to the Virgin, Pearsall ’ s In Dulci Jubilo, Darke ’ s In The Bleak Midwinter and a setting by John Walker (former Director of Tiffin Boys ’ Choir) of Away In A Manger. Outstanding was the choir ’ s rendition of Rutter ’ s What Sweeter Music, in which the trebles, especially the many new Y7 members, sang with impressive poise and expression. Thursday ’ s carol service, led by the Chamber Choir, was sung to a congregation of Year 7, Year 8 and Sixth Form pupils most of whom, given the challenges of 2020 and 2021, were attending their first Tiffin Festival of Lessons and Carols. They were not disappointed thanks to the

impressive singing of the Chamber Choir, their repertoire that day including Ding Dong Merrily arr. Wilberg, My Lord has Come by Will Todd, In The Stillness by Sally Beamish and O come Emmanuel arr. David Nield (former Director of Music at Tiffin School). The choir sounded perfectly prepared to begin their residency at Winchester Cathedral. Cathedral Residency The Chamber Choir ’ s residency at Winchester Cathedral between 3 and 5 January 2022 led to beautiful singing and excellent musical development for all involved. Fresh from the Christmas holiday, this was an ideal time for pupils to work together over an extended period to develop their skills as choral singers. Choral Evensong was sung in the cathedral by the choir on the first two days of their stay, followed by a Choral Eucharist on the third. The choir sang with style and confidence the challenging settings of the canticles by Leighton and Howells, along with a mass setting by Darke. Recent OT, Daniel Blaze, who will join Clare College Cambridge as Organ Scholar next year, provided impressive organ accompaniment. The services can be enjoyed again here., here and here. Chamber Choir Winchester