Bedales Community Concert at St Peter's Church

Published on isbi School News dated Tuesday 9th of November 2010

Bedales students performed a lunchtime concert at St Peter's Church last week, for the local community, with recitals by the school's Chamber Orchestra and Choir inspired by a music trip to Italy during the summer.

Produced by Bedales Director of Music teacher Nick Gleed the programme featured: Edvard Greig, Two Elegiac Melodies; Antonin Dvor�k, Eja Mater; Johann Sebastian Bach - Organ Fantasia in C minor BWV 537; Johann Pachelbel Canon; Sir Hubert Parry - My Soul, there is a country; Camille Saint-Sa�ns - Deus Abraham.

Several of the performances at St Peter's featured in the school's music trip to Tuscany and Umbria during the summer holidays when students were given the wonderful opportunity to perform at churches across the region. The tour included the Sacred Music Festival in Cortona and a recital at the cathedral in Castiglione Del Lago in Todi. At the concert in Cortona, a collection was organised to support the Magnificat Institute to enable children from different backgrounds, faiths and cultures to experience the unanimous peace and contentment that performing and studying music brings. The Bedales Music department was inspired by the project and plans to dedicate next term's concert to the Magnificat to assist with fundraising. In between performances, students took the opportunity to do some sight- seeing, which included a visit to an underground Roman town and a guided tour of Perugia.

Commenting on the Music trip and the concert at St Peter's, Nick Gleed, Director of Music at Bedales said: 'We had wonderful audiences in Italy and were thrilled to see that even Italian teenagers from the local football club came to hear our music. We were welcomed by the local community both in Italy and Petersfield and it was lovely to share our passion for music with appreciative audiences. I am very lucky to have talented students, many of whom return to the school after sixth form to spend some time with the Bedales Music Department in preparation for their future careers. I was very pleased with the concert performed in such a lovely setting at St Peter's in the heart of Petersfield.'

Bedales next public concert, The Cecilia Concert, will be on Wednesday 24th November at 7.30pm at the school. Please visit www.bedales.org.uk/bedales-arts for more information.