Choral Workshop Day with composer, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange

On Thursday the 23rd of January, we were delighted to welcome the internationally acclaimed composer Joanna Forbes L’Estrange to Blundell’s for an afternoon of workshops with the Senior and Prep School choirs.

This year’s Spring Concert, The Seasons, includes the world premiere of A Season to Sing, a piece co-commissioned by Blundell’s.

It was an inspiring afternoon, with Joanna sharing her vision for how the choirs should approach the pieces. She also brought a great deal of energy, practical advice for choral singing, and fascinating insights into her compositional choices. The piece is a re-imagining of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons for choirs, complete with bird-song whistling, a summer rain dance, and choral bagpipe sounds.

It’s a brilliant opportunity for our pupils to engage with one of the most famous pieces of all time, first published 300 years ago, in an exciting and innovative way.

Pupils from Years 3–13 thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and everyone is eagerly anticipating the world premiere on Wednesday 12th February, at 7pm in Big School as part of the Spring Concert.

The programme will also feature a spectacular selection of season-inspired instrumental music, making it a memorable celebration of The Seasons.