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6
ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
Invocation
By Alex Tester, Director of Music
The English Department
embrace World Book
Day in March. Left to
right: Jonathan Muir,
Sherlock Holmes;
Dr Lucinda Gallagher,
Cruella de Vil,
The
Hundred and One
Dalmations
; Finola
Picknett, Miss Havisham,
Great Expectations
;
Sam Ferraby, Toad,
TheWind in theWillows
;
and Ewan Gault, the
Lion,
The Lion, the
Witch and theWardrobe
.
We are regularly impressed and proud
of the work of our Chapel Choirs, but
it was a pleasure to see them raise their
game once again for a very different
collaborative project in March. Performing
at St John the Evangelist, the concert
venue church off Iffley Road, and as part
of the fine work of Oxford Contemporary
Music, the Choirs sang as the main vocal
group in ‘Invocation’, a piece composed
by Robert Mitchell and featuring his
quartet, Panacea. Mitchell has long been
a big British jazz name, performing in
venues all over the country, and this
work was premiered at the London Jazz
Festival in 2013. Its themes are based
on education and the importance of
learning, whatever age you are – how
effective and appropriate to be the first
school involved in performing it with this
very impressive jazz group. The piece
also involved recited declamations from
Nicola Harrison and solo sung sections by
a semi-professional octet, Plebs Angelica.
Learning the notes for a totally new
style, all in close harmony jazz chords,
and understanding the style behind the
notes, has been a constant challenge,
but the gritty determination of the
Chapel Choirs definitely paid off; the
final performance had a real drive and
direction to it, enjoying call and response
phrases with singer Deborah Jordan and
fitting musical ideas around extensive free
jazz solos by Laurie Lowe on drums and
Tom Mason on bass. It was a real honour
to be involved with the project: well
done to all choristers involved in the
final concert.
Molly van der Heiden
William Webb
On the Buses
A reminder that a trial shuttle bus
service is in operation from
Thornhill Park & Ride on
Sunday evenings. See the
website for details.