On Monday 28 June, one of the hottest days of the year to date, students and staff, parents and friends, Old Sennockians and many other Sevenoaks festival-goers gathered with a great sense of anticipation for this year’s Young Musicians’ Forum; the first to be presented on the stage of the brand new Pamoja Hall.

It was great to see various recent musical alumni of the school in attendance, many on their first visit to the wonderful new centre, eager to experience the special atmosphere of the auditorium and to appreciate the talent of current Sevenoaks students as well as a star from the past.

The first half of the concert is traditionally performed by Sevenoaks School music scholars, and this year some of the hugely talented Year 10 musicians took the stage. So sweltering was the weather that, for a short time, the heat and humidity got the better of one of the Performing Arts Centre’s two grand pianos. A second piano was quickly wheeled into action, and the audience was immediately put at ease by an assured performance of the Svendsen Romance, given by Elspeth Newey (violin) and very musically accompanied by Lorraine Preater on piano. From the opening octave leap from the violin, this was a performance of great poise with some lovely moments of stillness. The musical programme for the evening represented a fascinating tour of the 19th and 20th-century musical landscape of Northern Europe, and Claire Macfadyen (cello) now took us from G major to G minor, and from Norway to England, where we found John Ireland in the most dramatic of modes in the first movement of his Cello Sonata. This was a very direct performance, by turns passionate and calm. There was a delightful sense of understanding here between the soloist and Tau Wey, Sevenoaks School’s Head of Keyboard, at the piano.

We were taken to Germany for the next two items of the musical journey, with Tabea Haas-Heger presenting the first movement of Max Bruch’s iconic Violin Concerto. This is a huge cornerstone of the repertoire for the solo violinist, and was performed nervelessly here, with light work made of the considerable technical demands. Immaculate intonation and beautiful delicate playing in the high range made for a delightful performance, which highlighted the fabulous acoustic of the Pamoja Hall to great effect.

Another very substantial piece in the repertoire was then performed by two Sevenoaks students, Marcus Mok (cello) and Natalie Chau (piano), who took on the first movement of Brahms’ Cello Sonata in E minor. Wonderful singing lines were created here, with an excellent understanding between the two players, who gave a very compelling account, while making it look easy! Three of our soloists were then joined by Georgina Gibb (viola) to bring a Russian flavour to the evening, performing Arensky’s Variations on a theme by Tchaikovsky. A fine balance was achieved within the group, and the appreciative audience was left marvelling at the talent of these Year 10 students whose musical maturity belied their age.

The second half of the concert was given over to violinist Minn Majoe, and her accompanist Daniel King-Smith. With many of the audience remembering Minn’s performance of the violin solos from Scheherazade in one of her last concerts as a student at Sevenoaks, she announced herself on this new stage with the dramatic unaccompanied descending figure which begins the Subito by Polish composer Lutoslawski. The piece amply demonstrated our soloist’s phenomenal virtuosity, and this performance was absolutely convincing, leading the audience clearly through the complex formal symmetry and tonal scheme. A French colour was then introduced, as we were treated to César Franck’s Sonata in A major. This began in serene fashion, before changing gears in the more troubled-sounding second movement, ending at a furious tempo. In the third movement Recitativo, the musical dialogue between violin and piano was perfectly judged, and every detail of the rippling piano part was beautifully clear to the audience in the hall. Finally we were taken on a real journey through the familiar Allegretto, with the simplicity of the theme highlighted elegantly here.

Having been a music and academic scholar at Sevenoaks, Minn is now studying at the Royal Academy of Music, where she has led the String Orchestra, and in the Young Musicians’ Forum we were given a glimpse of a student working at the highest level. Arnold Schoenberg’s Phantasy came next, with a dramatic start that really drew the audience in, and held our rapt attention. Based on a twelve-tone row, and incorporating many sharp expressive and dynamic contrasts, it is a piece full of technical difficulties that were handled with consummate ease. Ravel’s celebrated Tzigane was a wonderful way to finish the evening, with its long unaccompanied section followed by intricate interaction between violin and piano, incorporating fast-moving octaves, all sorts of harmonics and left-hand pizzicato to name but a few special performance techniques. Always lyrical in the melodic line and once more accelerating to a tremendously fast tempo for the closing section, this was exhilarating playing. A great buzz among the audience after the concert signalled the excitement created by such stunning musicianship; the standard had been set for solo recitals in this new facility which is inspiring performers to greater levels of excellence.