Music Highlights

• 25 March | Carnage performed at the City Barge for their first headline performance, with support from Sorry Not Sorry.
• 26 March | Jazz and Blues Night entered its fourth year with another evening of jazz, funk, blues, soul, swing, and more. Highlights included instrumental performances from Ollie (Aranjuez, flugelhorn) and Miles (All Blues, trumpet), as well as vocal solos from Victoria (Misty), Amelia (Quiet Nights), and Markos (Lady Is a Tramp). As ever, the audience was entertained by the Year 9 and Senior Steel Bands, who, during the second half, had the PTA bar dancing along to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”. Full credit must also go to Dan Tsantillis for his phenomenal photography. Catch up here.
• 30 March | Music Tour to Sarajevo (see separate article for more detail). A remarkable musical and organisational achievement from Mr Banks, supported by the wonderful Ms Lounds and music parent Amela Karajbic. Chiswick School is now arguably the most famous thing in Bosnia, having created musical memories and links that we hope will last a very long time indeed. Do sljedećeg puta!
• 14 April | Soulcage: Homecoming. What better way to begin the public exam season than with an evening of heavy metal and light American folk? Kudos to Sam, Markos, Vanya, Orando, Ben, and Dylan for a fantastic night.
• 21 April | Years 10–13 all held mini recital evenings in C15, featuring drummers, bassists, classical and pop singers, pianists, trumpeters, and a borderline terrifying metallified version of Flight of the Bumblebee.
• 24 April | Parental Guidance performed at the Duck and Ball for another evening of French pop and jazz, with a bumper crowd of staff in attendance to begin their well-earned weekend.
• 27 April | No Refund squeezed in one final gig in the hall before exams fully began, hosting a fundraiser for Harry’s Pals — a charity devoted to providing emotional support to parents of severely ill and disabled children. A fantastic cause that was well celebrated on the night.
• 29 April | Cronos performed at the City Barge, fresh from their Battle of the Bands victory, with support from new band Afterthought and Finn Healiss Weichhardt.
• 2 May | The Year 12 A Level Music students visited Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club to watch legendary jazz singer Ian Shaw perform a lunchtime show. Ian currently features on the 2027 A Level Music syllabus, and students were fortunate enough to speak with him afterwards and gain valuable insight into their upcoming exams.
• 3 May | The Year 7 and 8 Steel Bands accompanied proceedings at the monthly car boot sale, performing tunes including Hallelujah and Rolling in the Deep.

• 6 May | High Voltage performed their first ever headline show at the George and Devonshire. Watch out for these students in the future.
• 20 May | Year 7 bands Obsydian Hour, After Hours, Horizon, and Sorry Not Sorry performed their first independent show at the City Barge, alongside a solo performance from up-and-coming Year 7 singer Penny Lynch. We look forward to seeing how these musicians develop in the years to come.
• 21 May | Piano Recital Evening. Eleven pianists performed on the concert grand piano at St Nick’s Church, with a mixture of debut performances and highly polished recitals. We look forward to returning again in the future.

News

Congratulations to all students who completed their R&P exams in April: Ben, Haru, Jack, Itsu, Ollie, Dylan, Margo, and Riley. Particular congratulations go to Ollie, who passed his Grade 8 with Merit.

Upcoming Shows

All upcoming performances can be found here. In particular, look out for:

• Tuesday 16 June | All orchestral ensembles will perform in the hall as part of the summer music programme.
• Tuesday 30 June, 7pm | Chiswick Voices Summer Concert.
• Tuesday 7 July | PTA Summer Festival.
• Thursday 16 July, 7pm | Music Awards Evening in the hall. Invitations will be sent out in June — watch this space.

Vacancies

Please email dofmus@chiswickschool.org if interested.

• Jazz Band pianist — rehearses Mondays after school. A high-level and rewarding ensemble. Students can shadow this term before starting officially in September.
• Jazz Band auxiliary percussionist — not required at all rehearsals, but needed for major performances. Sight-reading ability desirable. Start immediately.
• Alto and tenor singers for the Acapella Group — Jean and Eden are sadly leaving for university. The group performs close- harmony pop repertoire throughout the year and regularly performs at exciting events, sometimes using lapel microphones. Rehearsals take place once a week after school on a mutually agreed day. Shadow this term and begin in September.
• Bass player needed for Year 7 band Horizon — no experience necessary, just enthusiasm to learn and attend Wednesday after-school rehearsals. Start immediately.
• Performers needed for the Cavendish 5-a- side event from 12pm–4pm on Saturday 6 July. Students will provide background music outside A21 for visiting parents. Suitable for bands or solo singer-songwriters. All school equipment is available.
• Additional members wanted for the photography crew — could you help photograph school concerts? Open to both students and parents.