Concert for high achievers goes well

Marcia Rowe, Gleaner Writer

After months of hard work, the natural inclination is to let your hair down and relax - right? And of course, there are many ways to relax; like going to the beach or just simply sleeping. But, if your months of hard work was preparing for and then sitting music examinations, your method of unwinding may be somewhat different.

That was the case for the high scorers in the Associate Board of Royal School of Music (ABRSM) examinations, at an annual concert, aptly called High Scorers' Concert, held on Saturday.

Marie Clarke, ABRSM Representative for Jamaica explained. "All the students who performed this evening are the best of the best. All the top students throughout the island come together and perform." She also explained another benefit of the concert.

"The students who do not do as well come and hear the pieces, and get to know why these students get distinctions."

But the classical concert was understandably lengthy and had no intermission. Students were grouped and performed according to their grade levels; from six-year-old grade 1, Violet Huang, to grade 8 Northern Caribbean University student, Deon Jongue. With their varied choice of instruments: violin, guitar, clarinet, alto saxophone, piano and voice, they made their entrances from the wings of the St Andrew High School for Girls Assembly Hall.

outstanding

Young Jared Lewis was outstanding. Barely taller than his percussion instruments, he showed calm and maturity as he adjusted his instruments before playing Snare Drum Study No. 5. It was also clear why he received a distinction and the highest mark for percussion in grade 5.

Grade 7 student Alexander Myrie from Montego Bay played Kabalevasky's Presto with soul. His entire body transmitted to the audience what his fingers communicated to the keys of the piano. However, the overall highest mark for a piano piece was awarded to Jacqueline Wang, a grade 4 student.

She amassed 140 points out of a possible 150 with her lively piano piece Allegro In F.

Other commanding performances came from St Andrew High School for girls' student, Rachel Kitson (grade 4) with the popular Allegro In F and Laura Harris (grade 5) with another popular choice in Thiman's Flood Time, All the performers from grades 7-8 were good.

But it was a vocal instrument, Kingston College (KC) School Choir with Bruckner's Locus Teste, which started the evening's entertainment.

And in case you are wondering, yes the choir sat an exam also. In fact, KC was one of two choirs to have done so, the other being Immaculate High School. Both choirs represented the first two schools in Jamaica to participate in the ABRSM Choral Singing Examinations, which began this year.

Immaculate High Choir's performance was very entertaining. Prior to beginning their delightful rendition of Dip and Fall Back, and Gotta Robe, the ladies from Constant Spring Road in St Andrew gave a brief lesson on the history of the songs.

Not to be outdone, all the solo singers were beautiful in their delivery. They included the expressive grade eight student, Veronica Nicholson and Jongue, who was also the recipient of a special prize, for her two classical selections of Roger Quilter's Love Philosophy and Oscar Hammerstein II's, If I loved You.

Third form Campion College student, Naomi Retzin, who began playing the violin at age three, also received a prize for the highest mark in grade seven. Her piece was the up tempo Brahms' Hungarian Dance No.2. At the end of the concert, she spoke to The Gleaner, her story rather unusual. She was sent to violin classes after her father heard her singing at the age of three. Her father concurred, but explained that the violin was chosen because all the other instruments were bigger than her. And for Naoimi, while her achievements to date have come at the cost of much hard work, the best thing about playing violin is that it can rejuvenate you when you are down.