We had an absolutely phenomenal weekend of choral success and celebration.
On Saturday 11 March, our Senior Choir and Close Encounters took part in the
Bristol Festival of Music, Speech & Drama and were both awarded trophies for winning their classes with stunning performances. The Senior Choir won the Susan Weaver trophy and Close Encounters won the Malcolm Williams memorial trophy. Our Senior Choir sang Viva La Vida by Coldplay and Soldier, Soldier in the free choice class and Close Encounters sang The Sound of Silence and Big Spender to rapturous applause. It was a lovely day and the girls looked smart and sang with conviction to an exceptionally high standard. The adjudicator John Pomphrey was extremely complimentary about both choirs.
On Sunday 12 March, Close Encounters travelled to Warwick School for the National final of the inaugural
GSA (Girls' Schools Association) Choir of the Year. 152 girls' schools are members of GSA, and we competed against six other school choirs from around the country in front of an audience of friends and family. In December, we submitted a video of two pieces and heard in February that we were one of only six choirs who had been selected. The girls, Rosie, Claudia, Maddy, Charlie, Hattie, Emily and Grace looked incredibly smart in their new outfits and were complimented by all of the other choirs. They really rose to the occasion and performed with vitality and style. You could have heard a pin drop at times. We were all delighted to be placed as runner-up with some fabulous feedback from the judges.
Long-standing member of the Music Department and Head of Keyboard Studies, Kate Woodman who trains both the choirs commended the students saying: "singing is incredibly important at Redmaids' High and we have six outstanding choirs. The girls are committed and work so hard in every rehearsal which is testament to their fantastic achievement at the events over the weekend. The judges were extremely complimentary about their singing and I am so incredibly proud of them all".
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