Make their triumphant return
The Rydal Penrhos community came together for the first concert in quite some time, an illustration and celebration of normality returning across school life.
The school was delighted to welcome pupils, staff, parents and the wider community to the Memorial Hall for a Four Choirs Concert, which featured some outstanding performances during a hugely entertaining evening for those in attendance.
Deputy Principal and Head of Prep Lucy Davies welcomed everyone to the occasion before the Rydal Penrhos Community Choir got things underway with This Joyful Easter Tide by Charles Wood and a superb rendition of John Rutter’s For the Beauty of the Earth.
Another notable contribution during the concert came from the Prep Choir, who were in fine voice during two songs – Risen Lord by Barry Rose and This is the Day – which was extremely well-received by the audience.
It was then the Senior Choir’s turn to take the stage for Never Enough by Benj Pask and Justin Paul as well as Vance Joy’s Riptide. The group have been working hard on the pieces alongside the expert guidance of Director of Music Pete Williams during extra-curricular sessions, which really came off after an outstanding showcase of collective vocal ability.
Two more songs from the Community Choir were followed by the final pieces of the evening courtesy of the Chapel Choir, who brought the exceptional concert to a conclusion with Shine Jesus Shine by Graham Kendrick and the iconic Welsh hymn Calon Lan, written by Daniel James and John Hughes.
One of the most eagerly-anticipated dates on the Rydal Penrhos events calendar returned on Wednesday 30 March, with more than 200 people packing out the school’s Memorial Hall for the annual Prep Spring Concert. This was another huge milestone in terms of normality returning after COVID-19 restrictions eased and followed on from a memorable Four Choirs Concert the week prior.
Deputy Principal and Head of Prep Lucy Davies got the concert underway with an introduction, which featured individual and group performances from Reception right up to Year 6.
The standard of each performance on stage was magnificent. Pupils have been working exceptionally hard under the guidance of music staff in the lead-up to the concert, which came across with accomplished composure and delivery in equal measure.
Mrs Davies, said: “Thank you to our music staff, Mr Pete Williams, Mr Alan McGuiness and Mrs Sue Hughes, for their hard work and perseverance in bringing this concert to fruition.
“The past two years have been a very difficult time for singing and music-making across the school but our staff have continued to show that music plays a pivotal role in our mental health and well-being.
“The sheer joy of performing together was seen at the concert and hopefully is continuing the revival of all things musical at Rydal Penrhos School.”
Our aim is to have every pupil learning an instrument of their choice and we have a full group of talented peripatetic teachers who all have spaces to take on pupils from Year 1 onwards in any instrument.
A huge well done to everyone involved in such a sensational evening!
Rydal Penrhos has a rich and proud tradition of musical talent and creativity; our recent concerts are just the latest illustrations of this.
Many performances by school choirs of old are retained and preserved in our school archive; over the coming editions of the Society Newsletter, we would like to share some of these recordings with you.
In this issue we have included two songs recorded in the Memorial Hall in March 1999 by the Rydal Penrhos Senior Choir. The two tracks feature as part of a CD of choir performances including a traditional South African song and a tune from West Side Story.
The first is a beautiful rendition of the Welsh folk lullaby, Suo Gân, which features a solo performance by Kate Thomas (RPS 1998-00).
The second is William Stickles’ arrangement of My Favourite Things, one of the many famous tracks from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1959 musical, The Sound of Music.
We hope that you enjoyed the Four Choirs Concert, Prep Concert and these musical snippets from our past. To keep up to date with our upcoming musical concerts, please visit the events page on our website.
