Nicholas McCarthy

As part of Wellbeing Week, we welcomed a very special and hugely inspirational guest to the school on Tuesday. Nicholas McCarthy is a one-handed pianist who started playing at the age of 14, inspired by his friend playing in assembly.

As he played in the Gracey Hall to an enraptured audience, the banner on the wall proclaiming ‘Inspire a Generation’ was particularly apt. Nicholas shared his journey to success, describing how his ability was constantly underestimated, but how through sheer determination and talent he realised his dream of pursuing a career as a professional musician. He recalled receiving a call from Chris Martin, who invited him to join Coldplay at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Paralympic games. The biggest audience of his career, he gave a rendition of the Paralympic anthem in front of an audience of 86,000 people and half a billion worldwide viewers.

It was a truly inspirational evening and the message of never giving up and pursuing dreams was loud and clear!

Singing for the Hospice

It was such an honour for the choir to be asked to take part in a fundraising concert for Hospice in the Weald, sharing the programme with the Royal Tunbridge Wells Orpheus Male Voice Choir.

Sebastian, Head of School Music, reflected on the experience:

“All the performances were spectacular, but I found that the pieces that stood out to me the most were the Orpheus choir’s ‘76 Trombones and the beautiful solo singing of Ariana Rebecca Frith’s ‘O Holy Night’.

The Hilden Grange choir started with ‘Pirates’. This fantasy song suited the singers well and it was a difficult piece to sing as it split into three parts. ‘Gonna Rise Up Singing’ was a very fitting piece to sing for the concert and it moved the audience. ‘That’s What Friends Are For’ again was a very fitting piece as it shows that you can overcome anything with help. ‘Gaudete’ was an amazing performance sung with enthusiasm and brought a sense of Christmas spirit. Finally, all the performers came together to sing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ ending the concert with a bang.”

The Choir singing at Tonbridge Parish Church

Sevenoaks Festival Success

The Hilden Grange choirs had a very successful day at the Sevenoaks Festival, with the U11, U13 and U17 choir all putting in superb performances to win their classes. There was also lots of success in the individual classes. Congratulations to all of the children who took part.

Please enjoy these films of the choir in rehearsal, just before the festival.

Pre-Prep Spring Concert

The Pre-Prep’s Spring Concert was an absolute delight and a lovely opportunity for the children to show what they’ve been learning in their music lessons. The whole of the Pre-Prep, from Nursery to Year 2, started and ended the concert with some very lively singing. The audience also enjoyed solo recitals as well as ensemble performances from the Pre-Prep Choir, the Year 1 Ocarina and Year 2 Boomwhacker groups.

The children clearly relished the chance to perform and it was wonderful to see them all enjoying the event so much.

A Musical Feast

This term saw two fantastic music concerts featuring our soloists from Years 3 to 5, and Years 6 to 8. The concerts encompassed a range of talent, from children who were just starting out and performing for the very first time to seasoned performers. Congratulations to all the children who took part and a thank you to our peripatetic music staff for preparing them so well.