News

A Night of Dreams and Nightmares: A Mesmerising Musical

10 December 2024

With a seamless mix of orchestral, vocal, and band pieces, this term’s Gala Concert, 'Dreams and Nightmares' balanced the ethereal beauty of lullabies with the shadowy intrigue of darker themes.

Read more

The scene was set from the very first moment of entering the bar, with a skeleton playing the violin, despite only having one hand, perfectly introducing the theme of this term’s Gala Concert of ‘Dreams and Nightmares’.


The concert opened with the uplifting ‘A Million Dreams’ from The Greatest Showman, featuring no fewer than five soloists. We then turned to the full orchestra for a change from dreams to nightmares, with Saint-Saëns’ haunting ‘Danse Macabre’, setting the tone with strings and percussion that conjured a world of shadowy dances and unsettling nightmares.


Description of the image

The Year 7 and 8 singers delighted the audience with their rendition of ‘I have a Dream’ and ‘Any Dream Will Do’, followed by the Junior Orchestra developing the dreams theme further with two sleepy Lullabies. Another change back into darker themes saw the String Orchestra perform ‘Jack’s Lament’ from The Nightmare Before Christmas, beautifully arranged for strings by a local composer. The performers captured the menacing side of the theme brilliantly.


‘Time’ from Inception, performed by the orchestra, was incredibly moving and created an unsettling atmosphere. One of the finest pieces of the evening was the Orchestra’s rendition of ‘Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune’ by Debussy. This is a piece normally reserved for professional orchestras. With a number of solos for wind and brass, the students delivered a beautiful and atmospheric performance of this impressionistic piece.


Description of the image

While in with the theme, but moving away from orchestral pieces, we were also lucky enough to have three band performances, including drums and guitars, with the first band shrouded in mystery behind a curtain. We had ‘Dreams’ by the Cranberries, and ‘Monsters Under the Bed’ by the small band, and ‘Music for a Darkened Theatre’ from the full band – all three pieces were great!


The Senior Singers never disappoint. With ‘Dreamer’, their harmonies perfectly captured the theme of leaving disappointments and heartaches behind, perfectly supported by the soloists. Their second piece was ‘Lullabye’ by Billy Joel, and their final performance of the night of ‘Mr Sandman’ was absolutely stunning, with a welcome touch of peacefulness.



The highlight of the night was the final captivating piece from the opera Hänsel und Gretel, with a phenomenal operatic section , and charming cameos from Hansel and Gretel. The Choir and Orchestra teamed up to bring Engelbert Humperdinck’s beloved opera to life, showcasing incredible vocal talent and dynamic orchestral accompaniment. The spellbinding melodies of Hansel and Gretel’s adventure into the woods created a perfect balance of charm and darkness, leaving the audience on the edge of their seats.


All in all, the ‘Dreams and Nightmares’ concert was a dream performance, filled with symphonic surprises and a perfect balance of light and dark. It was a night where music brought every listener into a new world, making it a truly unforgettable experience. Well done to all the talented students who took part, the Technical Team who helped put it all together, and our Music Department!


Ms Holmes and Ms Walker