Class of 2023: Upper Sixth students hold Leavers’ events
The excitement was palpable as Upper Sixth students held a number of Leavers’ events as they start their study leave and get ready for life beyond SGS.
On the penultimate day, Head of Upper Sixth Mrs Britton held an assembly in the Hallam Hall where she expressed her admiration for the students and offered them pieces of advice.
On Leavers’ Day the students gathered in the Dining Hall for breakfast and to receive their yearbooks. After getting their books signed, they moved to the Sports Hall to take part in Summer party activities.
Following a BBQ lunch, they headed to the Hallam Hall for their final assembly.
Earlier in the Summer term, SGS musicians delivered masterful performances at the Leavers’ Concert.
The First Orchestra delivered an epic performance of music from the 2000 historical drama film ‘Gladiator’. The score for the movie, which was composed by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard and conducted by Gavin Greenaway, was Oscar-nominated and the SGS musicians impressed with their version.
‘Mercy, Mercy, Mercy’ a song written by Joe Zawinul for American jazz alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley was the first of two pieces performed by the Junior Jazz Band. Their second piece was a splendid version of Bill Withers’ well-known hit ‘Just The Two Of Us’.
The Wind Orchestra closed the opening half with a trio of songs, the first of which was ‘Prelude From 49th Parallel’ by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. They then played two of the four movements from Gustav Holst’s ‘Second Suite in F’ – ‘Fantasia On The Dargason’ and ‘Song Without Words’.
Their final piece, ‘Stevie Wonder In Concert’ (arrangement by Paul Murtha), saw them perform a raft of tunes from the American singer-songwriter including ‘Sir Duke’, ‘You Are The Sunshine Of My Life’ and ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered’.
Senior Jazz Band kicked off the second half with ‘Come Fly With Me’, the famous 1958 hit by Frank Sinatra that was written by Sammy Cahn and composed by Jimmy Van Heusen.
‘You’ve Changed’ by Carl Fischer and Bill Carey was then followed by their final choice, Oasis’ mega-hit ‘Wonderwall’.
The three movements from Gustav Holst’s ‘Brook Green Suite’ – ‘Prelude’, ‘Air’ and ‘Dance’ – by the String Orchestra thrilled the audience before the eagerly-awaited Leavers’ Ensemble closed the concert.
The concert concluded with the Leavers’ Ensemble paying tribute to the hard work, dedication and enthusiasm of the SGS Music staff before delivering a rendition of The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ with the lyrics rewritten about the Music department.
