Caterham School Bicentenary is celebrated at St John's, Smith Square.

Published on isbi School News dated Wednesday 28th of March 2012

On 26 March, Caterham School's Bicentenary celebrations continued with students and staff giving a concert at St John's, Smith Square in London.

The school offers a wide range of music ensembles for students who are interested in music either as an academic subject or a co-curricular activity and the evening included performances by the brass group, string orchestra, chamber orchestra and choirs.

The repertoire was an eclectic mix of music ranging from Bach and Purcell to original compositions by the music staff, including the School's bicentenary anthem written by Director of Music, Stuart Thompson.

The School choirs were joined by local choral society, Downland Chorale, in a triumphant performance of John Rutter's Magnificat- a large-scale musical work. In Rutter's personalised foreword for the programme he mentioned that his Magnificat 'reflected joy, hope and happy anticipation', particularly appropriate for celebrating the School's bicentenary.

Two charities will benefit from the retirement collection which raised £723: Live Life Then Give Life (LLTGL), which promotes successful organ transplant, and Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

Chief Executive of LLTGL, Emily Thackray said: 'The evening demonstrated outstanding musical talent combined with great style'.