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T H E A R T S
9
The Armed Man
Saturday 9 November, saw a memorable performance of Karl
Jenkins’
The Armed Man
,
A Mass for Peace
. Members of Bancroft’s
Sinfonia and the Bancroft’s Singers joined with parents, OBs
and members of two local choirs – the Crofton Singers and
the Evening Chorus – as well as other community
members.toperform this remarkable work.
Commissioned by the Royal Armouries in 1999, the work reflects
on the passing of “the most war-torn and destructive century in
human history”. Taking its framework from the Catholic Mass,
The Armed Man
draws upon texts and music from many different
religious and cultures. The work is by turns disturbing, rousing,
contemplative and poignant but ultimately ends on a note of hope.
The long hours of work and rehearsal which had gone into the
performance were evident and the soloists – Yusaf Shahzad, Emilia
Hitching, Sonia Sagoo, Gauri Godbole, Matthew Pinto, Martha
Grimsell and Tom Jackson - are to be congratulated. A massive
thanks must go to our Director of Music, Mrs Julia Whitbread,
for all her work creating this very memorable evening. Mrs
Whitbread said, “It was such a privilege to bring together so many
parts of the Bancroft’s and local community. Rehearsals with the
adult choir were a real highlight, with much laughter and some
wonderful singing. I have received many positive messages since
the performance.”
One adult soprano from the Arts Society commented,
“The performances and practices drew our whole community
together in a way that we were all enriched. I have lived here 42
years and I met ‘Woodfordians’ who I hadn’t seen for years.The
Bancroft’s Choir and Sinfonia were superb, their joy and enthusiasm
were epic and the soloists amazingly confident.”
On Tuesday 3 December, the Lower 4th art students, went
on a delightful trip to experience the Harry Potter Studio
Tour.Wewere all buzzing with excitement when we arrived.
We travelled through various corridors, which had fascinating
objects and sculptures from the actual films on display. I think I
photographed everything.
Behind the scenes
of Harry Potter
Nikita Saha, L4W
We ventured through this incredible exhibition until we reached
the set of the Forbidden Forest, where ‘fog’ and spider models
hanging from the ceilings descended upon us; a friend of mine was
terrified to go in, but plucked up the courage in the end. Everyone
stopped for lunch, which meant we could try their ‘butter beer.’
Afterwards we carried on going through the sets, eventually
reaching the last area which is a huge scale model of Hogwarts.
We ended the trip visiting the gift shop, which consists of a variety
of items, from candies to Hogwarts’ robes.
We all had an amazing time
and this is one trip that I will
look back at and remember
not regretting a single
second. Going on this trip
could help in areas such as
architecture, fashion, media,
film and theatre, which
are great for future career
options, and something for
me to consider in the future.