Sevenoaks singOFF
Each selected singer took a personal photoshoot as
part of the event’s promotional Instagram account,
and the school community had the ability to interact
with contestants by voting and supporting their
favourite acts through our social media channels.
Fast forward, then, to the night of the concert
in early October. The bar was set high from the
first performance of the evening, as each finalist
demonstrated the extent of their vocal abilities.
In contrast to their auditions, each singer faced
a professional judging panel, comprised of EDM
specialist Alex Tagg (OS 2017), virtual reality expert
Ben Dawson (OS 1999) and the ever-popular William
Fairbairn, who had recently been involved in the
Music department as a graduate assistant. Ultimately,
Inci Gürün (Lower Sixth) was awarded the coveted
title of singOFF grand champion, with her smooth
interpretation of Meghan Trainor’s ‘All About That Bass’
being a standout moment of the event, and Zenaide
Castellano Pucci (Year 9) claiming the position of
runner-up.
Setting the bar high
In the weeks leading up to the inaugural singOFF
Sevenoaks concert, I reviewed 49 audition tapes to
determine which individuals would advance to the
competition’s grand finale. Scrolling through page
upon page of video performances made me realise
the sheer magnitude of musicality and talent
amongst vocalists at the school.
From renditions of musical theatre classics to Top
40 covers to jazz standards and country-influenced
originals, the style and vocal timbre of each potential
finalist not only highlighted their individuality, but also
the musical dimension they might contribute towards
the event. After much deliberation, we decided to
feature 13 singers at the finale as opposed to the
originally envisioned Top 12, thus indicating the
calibre of those auditioned.
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MUSIC REVIEW
Selling out the Pamoja Hall, singOFF managed to
raise over £3000 for Refugee Action from donations
through our website and a bake sale held during the
concert. It was a great pleasure to shape and organise
the competition, and I look forward to the sequel.
Jeremy Pui, Upper Sixth
“I performed ‘Rolling in the Deep’. It’s a song I know
really well, and I went into a sort of trance for three
minutes. Once I had stopped singing, I could hear
people clapping and the audience stopped being a
large blur in front of me. This has definitely inspired
me to continue singing at school concerts and my
performance has improved as a result.”
Emma Dulerayn, Year 7
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