CHAMBER MUSIC
With the award of the 2023 Pro Corda Founder ’ s Trophy , Sevenoaks has been recognised for its dedication and commitment to ‘ the music of friends ’
Above : The Pro Corda U16 winners
Chamber music this year has been a veritable extravaganza . With around 30 groups , involving nearly 90 pupils ranging from Year 7 to Upper Sixth , chamber music is a huge part of the Music department , for both the pupils and the teachers who coach us . The hard work of each of these groups was showcased in a series of four different concerts in the Lent term , featuring piano trios , saxophone quartets , and everything in between .
An undeniable highlight has been the Pro Corda schools ’ chamber music competition . This year , Sevenoaks had three groups ( two violin quartets and a brass quartet ) in the final , and received the Founder ’ s Trophy in recognition of the school ’ s ongoing commitment and dedication to chamber music . We entered 30 groups into the competition this year and hosted several first round and semi-final days , with the whole process being described by the judges in the final as a ‘ festival within a festival ’. Sevenoaks also won the U16 category , with a violin quartet playing Grażyna Bacewicz ’ s Quartet for Four Violins .
For me , as part of the winning U16 group , one of the most memorable and exciting things about the competition was the opportunity to perform a lesserknown repertoire to so many audiences in our journey to the final . Bacewicz is a female Polish composer with an incredibly diverse compositional range , and her Quartet for Four Violins is one of the most imaginative and colourful pieces I have ever played , conjuring images of still , snowy sunrises and busy mornings at the market filled with folk music . It was a joy to introduce many people to this piece for the first time , including some of the judges !
In preparation for the later rounds of Pro Corda , the Music department organised a chamber music day , which included visits from the Sacconi Quartet ( with OS violinist Hannah Dawson ), who are Quartet in Association at the Royal College of Music , and the
50 MUSIC REVIEW