Oakham School’s annual celebration of solo singing returned after a two year break on Sunday 6 February. With performances taking place throughout the day in both Chapel and Old Hall, we were privileged to welcome two distinguished visiting adjudicators: Linda Ormiston and Nigel Short.
As part of our encouragement for pupils to re-engage with the joy of live solo singing, there was no set theme for this year’s competition. It was therefore wonderful to hear committed performances of art songs by Beethoven, Brahms, Britten, Copland, Finzi, Poulenc, Purcell & Vaughan Williams. We also enjoyed operatic arias by Dvořák, Handel, Mozart & Purcell, and a wide range of music theatre songs from the past 100 years.
The adjudicators were hugely impressed with the standard of performance, as well as being highly encouraging of the sense of mutual support and enjoyment that the singers shared throughout the day. They selected pupils in every year group class to be awarded with certificates, and all our winners and runners-up performed again at the end of the day in a truly excellent recital, which clearly evidenced the strength and depth of singing at Oakham, under the guidance of five superb singing teachers.
Prizes were awarded as follows:
OVERALL WINNER Chloe H (Round House)
OVERALL RUNNER-UP Evie H (Hambleton)
MOST PROMISING YOUNG SINGER Serafina G (Ancaster)
FORM 1/LOWER 1
Winner Serafina G (Ancaster)
Runner-Up Charlie P (Peterborough House)
Highly Commended Lucy C (Lincoln) & Cressie W (Lincoln)
FORM 2
Winner Penelope B (Lincoln)
Runner-Up Ottó S (Peterborough House)
Highly Commended Aggie C (Ancaster)
FORM 3
Winner Connie B (Rushebrookes)
Runner-Up Liberty D (Buchanans)
Highly Commended Shonali B (Stevens)
FORM 4
Winner Evie H (Hambleton)
Runner-Up Simi H (Stevens)
Highly Commended Ffion R (Hambleton) & Eloise S (Hambleton)
FORM 5
Winner Will F (Clipsham)
Runner-Up Béla C (Chapmans)
Highly Commended Sophie W-S (Hambleton)
FORM 6
Winner Poppy P (Stevens)
Runner-Up Daniel K (Chapmans)
Highly Commended Ivor A (Chapmans) & Henrietta G (Gunthorpe)
FORM 7
Winner Chloe H (Round House)
Runner-Up Henrietta M (Round House)
Highly Commended Andrea CC (Round House), Eliza CG (Round House) & Zsolti J (Round House)
Click here to watch them singing.
