Congratulations to the students in our clarinet quintet for their outstanding achievement in reaching the national finals of the 2024 Pro Corda Chamber Music Festival for Schools!

The Hudgell Clarinet Quintet made up of year 10s Freya S (violin), Fliss B (cello) and Maddie H (clarinet), and year 9s Matilda W (violin) and Thomasin M F, performed beautifully at Central Foundation Boys’ School in Central London. Their performance of Paul Reade’s Victorian Kitchen Garden Suite was praised for their musical playing and the quality of tone produced by Maddie, as well as the string instruments.

The group progressed through a regional round and semi-final, after which they were selected from a national pool as one of five finalists in the under-14 category and enjoyed the opportunity to listen to chamber ensembles from throughout the country. They were sadly pipped to the post of becoming national champions, but it is still a tremendous achievement.

Their teacher, Mr Reading, said: “The group should be extremely proud of their performance in the National Finals. Chamber music is one of the pillars of performance and allows musicians to act as both soloist and support, and take full responsibility for their role in the group.

“Through this process the ensemble have taken on board the feedback and risen to the challenge of upping the standard of their performance each time, and have developed a strong bond as a result. They are already looking forward to taking part in their next performance as an ensemble!”