It’s been a busy end to the year in the music and drama department at Fyling Hall. With so many talented actors and musicians moving on to further education it seemed a fitting end to put on two performances in the final week of term to celebrate the talent of our youngsters and to allow the leavers a final performance together.
On Wednesday evening, the beautiful Rose Garden was framed by 4 colourful, intricate carved wooden trees, designed and created by ex pupil Hester Haslett-Venus, as a stage for an evening of Shakespeare. Parents, friends and family relaxed on the lawn, gazing at the incredible view, with a glass of Pimms in hand waiting for the evening to unfold. Pupils from years 7 to 13 performed extracts from Macbeth, Henry V, Romeo & Juliet and As You Like It. The Rose Garden came alive with Shakespearian prose and the pupils demonstrated their ability to perform with confidence and a sense of professionalism. Miss Rowland & Mrs Wormald were both extremely proud of their drama pupils and are already looking forward to planning the next outdoor dramatic adventure in the Rose Garden.
With 24 hours to recover, the pupils used their time to assist Mrs Wormald in transforming the Barn into an intimate, candlelit venue for the ‘leavers final concert’. By 7pm the Barn was ready to welcome an audience of over 75 people! The programme was split into 3 sections, opening with the younger musicians in school, moving onto a ‘special guest’ section and ending with the leavers performing a small scale set of their own. The music department was delighted to welcome back to school ex Fyling Hall pupil, Eliza Carthy who performed a wonderful set with her band members Barnaby and Dave. Eliza shared some of her fondest memories of Fyling Hall and also encouraged the audience to join in with a rendition of Happy Birthday to her past music teacher, Cathy Hornung. By the end of the evening, and after numerous encores from our leavers, led primarily by George Husband and Kate Lavery, there was not a dry eye in the house. Emotions ran high as the realisation set in that this was the final concert for some of Fyling Hall’s most talented young musicians.
The evening was a huge success and the pupils and special guests made the evening truly memorable. It will be a difficult week to beat in terms of music and drama performances, but Miss Rowland and Mrs Wormald love a challenge and will look forward to planning future events for next year!
