Fun at the first Core residential of 2015-16

The SWMS team were certainly busy this October – just 12 hours after we waved goodbye to the students who attended our Composer residential, we found ourselves welcoming our much larger Core programme students to Bicton College to begin three days of music making.

This residential, the first in the year for our Core Programme students, focused on our students’ instrumental and vocal specialisms, guided by an expert team of tutors. We divided up into four groups: strings under the baton of Tom Kemp, voices under the direction of Helen Porter, a rock/funk/jazz group led by Stuart Ryan and James Hester, and a wind/brass group. Unfortunately Paul Denegri, who was to have led the group, fell ill a few days before the residential, so Elfyn held the fort until the cavalry arrived in the form of Ed Leaker, Head of Woodwind at Wells Cathedral School.

It was a very busy and productive residential: each group produced some outstanding work, and the final performance on the third day was a tribute to everyone who took part, not only because of the high standard, but also the diversity, of what was achieved.

Video recordings of each of the groups’ final performances can be found on our performance videos page.