Xaverian College’s Music Department delivered an unforgettable Easter celebration with a sold-out concert at the Royal Northern College of Music on March 30th. Featuring a rich tapestry of ensembles and soloists, the event welcomed the Mayor of Manchester and thrilled an audience of family, friends, and the wider community with musical talent that earned a well-deserved standing ovation.
The compères for the evening were two Year 13 students, Sam Bishton and Anna Metcalfe, and to kick start the evening, guests were treated to a pre-concert jazz band, who performed classics on the mezzanine above the Carole Nash recital room.
Below is a full synopsis of the performances on the evening:
The concert began with the Big Band, directed by Laurie Agnew, who performed ‘Cowboy Bebop – Tank’, by Yoko Kanno, and ‘Green Onions’ by Booker T & The M.G.’s.
Following the vibrant start, the College’s Flute Group, directed by Jennifer Dyson, performed ‘Die Moldau’ by Bedrich Smetana, and ‘Let’s Do It, Let’s Fall in Love’ by Cole Porter.
The Saxophone Group, led by Year 13 student, Charlie Lambert, performed two pieces by Mike Smith – ‘Cotton Club Lounge’ and ‘Mile High Funk’.
The Brass Band, directed by Andrew Farrow, gave a powerful performance of ‘Punchinello’ by Willam Rimmer and the ‘Final Hymn’ from Igor Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird Suite’.
The Clarinet Choir followed the Brass Band and they were Conducted by Hugo Huang, a Year 12 student who has shown a keen interest in conducting and directing ensembles since starting his studies at Xaverian. They performed a medley from Leonard Bernstein’s famous West Side Story.
The penultimate performance of the first half saw the String Orchestra take to the stage with one of the best performances of the night. Directed by Duncan Reid, the first piece they performed was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s ‘Flute Concerto in D Major’ Movement 1. The soloist was Charlotte Philpotts, who won Xaverian College’s Young Musician of The Year Competition back in November 2024. Charlotte’s performance showed great maturity and musicianship. She has also been awarded a scholarship to study at the RNCM later this year.
The second piece performed by the String Orchestra saw Rodney Leung take to the stage to conduct one of his own compositions written specifically for the ensemble – ‘The Mystical Tales of Hugo’. This wonderful piece was also scored for piano, flute and percussion. Rodney, a Year 12 student, has a very bright future in the world of composition.
To end the half, the Concert Choir, directed by Ged Marciniak and accompanied by Jonathan Ellis, gave spectacular performances of ‘Song For Athene’ by John Tavener and ‘Dies Irae’ by Ryan Main.
The second half started off with groove and swagger with the Soul Band, who were directed by and led by Ged Marciniak. The students performed ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ by Bacharach & David, ‘Lady Marmalade’, by Crewe & Nolan, and ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’ by Stevie Wonder.
The Chamber Choir then filled the concert hall with their sweet sounds, directed by Eleanor Jarvis and accompanied by Louis de Satgé, they sang ‘The Long Day Closes’ by Arthur Sullivan, ‘Abendfeier In Venedig’ by Clara Schumann, and ‘Ukrainian River Song’ by Roman Yakub.
Next to perform were the Latin Percussion Ensemble, directed by Laurie Agnew, they dazzled the audience with ‘Afro-Cubanismo’ by Laurie Agnew, and ‘Manteca’ by Dizzy Gillespie
Before the last performance of the night, the Gospel Choir sang ‘Can’t Give Up Now’ by Mary Mary, and ‘Total Praise’ by Richard Smallwood. A fantastic performance delivered by two talented musical directors, Lydia-Faith Smith and Peniel Amegee.
The Orchestra ended a wonderful concert with powerful performances of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ by John Williams, ‘The Goonies’ by David Grusin, and ‘Beetlejuice’ by Danny Elfman.
The audience gave a standing ovation at the end of another amazing concert.
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance visit Xaverian College on an annual basis to run performance masterclasses, to pass on their experience in the music industry by coaching A Level Music and BTEC Music Technology students.
Building on the success of the concert, students were given the chance to deepen their musical growth through exclusive masterclasses with members of Trinity Laban’s senior faculty, Professor Nic Pendlebury (viola) and two other senior representatives from the department, Lana Trotovšek (violin) and Kate Dornan (Music and Outreach and Recruitment Manager).
Kate and Nic started the masterclass with a presentation about Trinity Laban, where he talked about the audition process, the amazing opportunities on offer, and the life of a musician at a conservatoire. They then coached the String Orchestra, a variety of Chamber Ensembles and the College’s leading soloists. After each performance, students received invaluable feedback about the positive aspects of their playing and ensemble skills, and were also given targets to improve posture, communication, phrasing, tone, interpretation and technique.
Music performances and workshops are a notable feature of life at Xaverian for students who are interested in music as an enrichment activity or who study Music A Level or Music Technology BTEC as one of their subjects.
As one of the largest providers of post-16 education in the region, Xaverian College offers an extensive range of A Levels in addition to several BTEC courses.