Our All-through Brass Celebration was a real success for students from Year 4 to Year 13. 

It was inspiring to see so many ages involved and great to see so much variety in musical repertoire.

Thank you to Mr D Taylor for organising students and arranging music that pushes them to the next level in Brass Ensemble.  Thank you to Mr Peach for coordinating our Larch Brass students!

Congratulations for all of our performers, please enjoy the videos here:

The Simon Balle Big Band Evening showcased the incredible musicians in Big Band 2 and The Big Band.

What an incredible night it was.

The quality of music was simply off the scale. We must never, ever take it for granted that this takes place at Simon Balle, even though it is achieved year on year.

I played tenor saxophone in Big Band 2 which was such an incredible experience! We played multiple pieces which I think went really well and it was so fun to play in front of an audience with the lights. My highlight of the night was either doing a solo, which was nerve-racking but also such an amazing memory, or dancing and singing with my friends. The whole evening had such a wonderful atmosphere and it was so nice to see the audience of all ages singing along!   

Holly, Big Band 2

Our Singing Recital showcased our incredible vocalists! 

Well done to all of the performers; there was some incredible singing, and such a brilliant array of confidence. We are very proud of all the students who participated!

Please enjoy the videos here:

We welcomed family and friends of some of our talented players for an Evening of Piano Music.

We were lucky to have performers from Years 8-11 playing a variety of styles. There was plenty of Rock and Pop on display with Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars amongst the artists featured, whilst, in contrast, the audience were also treated to music by Claude Debussy, Richard Rodgers and Joe Hisaishi.

Well played everyone, it was all thoroughly enjoyed!

Our Woodwind Starters’ Celebration showcased all of our Larch students who started learning the Flute or Clarinet in September. 

Our Larch Carol Service showcased:

• Larch Wind and Brass (Year 4, 5 & 6), 

• Larch String Orchestra (Year 4, 5 & 6)

• Year 4, 5 & 6 Choir

• Year 2 & 3 Choir

We must never take for granted the standard of musicianship at our Carol services. We all know that the number of students engaging is simply off the scale, and, once again, so evidently highly inclusive with the breadth of young people playing and singing. From choirs to strings, wind, brass and percussion; from Year 2 all the way to Year 6; from traditional carols to innovative, engaging and bespoke arrangements.

Our Secondary Carol Service showcased: 

• The Simon Balle Concert Band, 
• Senior Strings (including Y6)
• Secondary Choir, 
• Chamber Choir, 
• Saxidentals,
• Brass Ensemble. 

We must never take for granted the standard of musicianship at our Carol services. We all know that the number of students engaging is simply off the scale, and, once again, so evidently highly inclusive with the breadth of young people playing and singing. From choirs to strings, wind, brass and percussion; from Year 6 all the way to Year 13; from traditional carols to innovative, engaging and bespoke arrangements. It was fantastic to see so many students involved in so many ensembles and musical activities!

What a fantastic Winter Celebration by our Adult Community Choir - Take Note!

Please enjoy the recordings here:

Our Celebration of Strings Concert showcased:

• Senior Strings (including Year 6),

• Our Chamber Group,

• Solos 

• Music featuring some of our Acoustic Guitarists.

It was fantastic to see how our String Orchestra has built over the years - a real epitome of our all-through community. As Mr Dear said, it is a really exciting time to be a strings player as the growth and development is so exciting.

Please enjoy the videos here: