NOAH!A CANTATA BYJ A ESTORNINHO

Performed as part of the Britten and Beyond project, in collaboration with the British Council and Music for Youth.

MUSICAL NUMBERS

I. SHE’S THE BOSS ’ROUND HEREII. THAT’S HOW TO BUILD AN ARKIII. YOU’RE MISSING WATERIV. ARK FANFAREV. HEATWAVEVI. MARCH OF THE ANIMALS (DANCE)VII. I CAN FEEL THE RAINVIII. THE STORM (DANCE)IX. HYSTERICAL BEHAVIOURX. WE’RE HOME ONCE MOREXI. THERE’S A PLACE

Last March when I was putting together the programme for 2013/14 for our Chamber Choir I had thought about scheduling ‘Noye’s Fludde’ by Britten. After studying the score I concluded that it required forces beyond our scope and so decided to write a cantata of the Noah story for our own use.

Quite by coincidence in July I received an e-mail from Judith Robinson of the British Council asking for a submission to participate in the ‘Britten and Beyond’ project to celebrate the centenary of the birth of one of our most prolific and important 20th century composers Benjamin Britten. The project, run with the participation of Music for Youth, sought entrants to be twinned with an overseas partner to perform music by or inspired by Britten. I applied without expectation but with a plea that the cantata we would perform had as its starting point the music of Britten. I was perfectly aware that this was, at best, a tenuous connection, but the British Council, in its wisdom and to its credit thought not and accepted my application.

It transpired that the overseas applicants were not as numerous as the British Council had hoped and so we found ourselves twinned with Gladstone Primary School in North West London. We have kept them posted on our progress with our rehearsals and have watched their performance of Britten’s ‘Begone Dull Care’.

Not being one to keep all the glory to myself I enlisted the help of Miss Walsh and her Drama Club who have been wonderful in their enthusiasm for the project. I should like to extend my warmest thanks to Miss Walsh and Miss Mason for their efforts in helping to bring the performance to its fruition. A special thank you too to Maria Elliott, who has been instrumental in producing and erecting the screen and to Joao Carvalho for his tirelessassistance. I should also like to thank most profoundly, Mr Hui of Gunnersbury School for his enthusiasm and helpwith the music. His boys have done a great service to their wider community by helping us out with the music.

Finally, I should like to thank my Chamber Choir, of whom I am immensely proud.

Mr Estorninho

Performed by

The Chamber Choir of St James’s Catholic School

The Drama Club of St James’s Catholic Schooldirected by Miss Walsh and Miss Mason

and The Jazz Band of Gunnersbury Catholic School under the direction of Mr Hui

Conducted by Mr Estorninho

Darcey SpicerIsla DaleSophie HildrethPoppy LineAnna McHenryMollyanna MurphyHolly MugfordCarmen Wallace

Ava DadswellJoseph SteelAmber WestAmy CoppinAlma TalbotRachel CamilleriLucia LaffanJames Bradley

Lila PriechenfriedLily AskhamGabrielle EstorninhoKatie MugfordKate NorrisRenata SoleriKara WalshFrancesca Medri

Lily AskhamMillie BartletCharlotte CampbellRose CashmoreMichaela Coco-Bassey

Gabrielle EstorninhoAmelie Forester-EvansBeatrice GomesOrla Harvey Esther Jopling

Francesca MedriKiran Mistry Leo Timlin Alexandra Wigington

Guitar:

Bass Guitar:

Drums:

Tristan ThompsonJack O'DonnellRodrigo de MendozaAbel ZemedDaniel LinehanVictor Thomas