Reporter: Dr Joe Dawson
Date online: 12/06/2008

The sense of experiment was in the air. New faces and new pieces continued the Academy Concert tradition of encouraging students to develop their performance skills.

Laura (9) and Caitlin Davies (11) provided an upbeat vocal overture with some of their jazzy exam songs: guaranteed to raise a smile and make a cheerful start.

In contrast, there was more serious music from Vera Coupe as she tackled Chopin's piano music and David Finney explored characterisation in 'Les Miserables' but the rest of the concert was devoted to the youngsters and their exam preparation.

Lucy Smethurst (17) sang 'The Heart Worships' by Gustav Holst with poise and feeling.

Charlotte Cunliffe (11) made a promising debut on the piano with Beethoven's Fur Elise, as did Dhruv Mittal (11) with his singing of 'Morning has broken' with the audience joining in the third verse.

Penny Nicholls (13) experimented with her memory skills with an eight-page piece of JS Bach for Grade 8 piano.

Younger sister Katie Nicholls (10) sang a little known gem 'Peter, Peter' from 'Peter Pan' by none other than Leonard Bernstein.

Adam Marshall (11) sang 'Under the greenwood tree' by William Walton and the folk song 'The Turtle Dove' with new verses composed by himself.

Ailsa Mainwaring and Penny Nicholls each sang beautiful solos before trying out a new duet that came out of sight reading practice. They have become quite accomplished duettists, appearing in several concerts and last year's Music Festival Gala Concert. Might this become their star item for this year?

Taking risks is an important element in the development of skills. The spontaneity and energy of new work in progress are hallmarks of these concerts and provide innovative insights as well as entertainment.

A Rochdale Academy Concert
Toad Lane Performing Arts Centre
12 October 2002