22 May 2025
Mr Richard Hammond-Hall, Director of Music
The first half of the summer term has seen Woldingham musicians participating in masterclasses and giving wonderful solo performances, as well as achieving some marvellous individual musical successes.
Individual successes
Many congratulations to Olympia, Year 8, who has gained a place to study singing at the Junior Department of Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance; Antonina, Year 9, who has been selected to take part in a British Youth Musical Theatre production of Worn Out at The Lowry in Manchester in August; Catherine, Year 10, who was recently awarded the Royal School of Church Music Gold Medal, the highest award in the RSCM’s internationally acclaimed Voice for Life award scheme; and Sephora, Upper Sixth, who has been offered an undergraduate place on the prestigious Electronic and Produced Music Course at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, specialising in film composition. We are very proud of you all.
Organ Masterclass at Westminster Cathedral
Student organists, Miss Wang and I enjoyed a magical evening on Tuesday 29 April at a masterclass with Westminster Cathedral’s Organ Scholar, Daniel Greenway. Our musicians had the cathedral to themselves for two hours to explore the music of Esther Bersweden, Théodore Salomé, Krebs, Pachelbel, William Walton and Mendelssohn on the cathedral’s Grand Organ, one of Britain’s finest instruments built by the peerless organ builder Henry Willis.
Strings Masterclass
Woldingham’s violinists and cellists were treated to a fantastic masterclass on Tuesday 6 May given by Matthew Jones, Head of Chamber Music and Professor of Viola at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Students explored artistry, vibrato, bowing and storytelling, alongside insightful and empowering instruction of healthy posture and efficient practice.
Soloist Evening
On Tuesday 20 May, students, parents and staff gathered in the Recital Room for our summer term Soloist Evening. During a delightful evening of music making, musicians honed their craft as recitalists, with accompaniment from Mrs Kostogianni and supported by a friendly audience. Standout performances included Fiona’s (Lower Sixth) virtuosic rendition of William Hurlstone’s Bassoon Sonata and Olympia’s (Year 8) polished and mature performance of Rêve d'amour. The evening also included several outstanding Woldingham debut solo performances, including Tessa (Year 7), Seren (Year 8), Bebe and Jackie (Year 9) and Anaya (Year 10). Congratulations to all who took part.