For the third year running, Sevenoaks School welcomed top London chamber choir, The Cantus Ensemble, for an exciting day of workshops with students from Sevenoaks, New Beacon, Amherst and St Lawrence CE schools. 47 students took part in the competition this year, composing music and words for brand new carols in four different age categories (Years 5-6, 7-8, 9-11, 12-13). And for the first time this year, a VSU group from Sevenoaks School, ‘Composers in Action’, mentored students in the Year 5-6 category. The choir then spent the day singing through and recording these pieces, three of which from each category were performed in a wonderfully festive evening concert in the Pamoja Hall, featuring performances from Amherst and St Lawrence CE schools as well. Competition organiser Chris Roe commented on the exceptionally high quality of entries this year, and the fantastic enthusiasm of all students involved.
The winning composers in each category were: Leia Whitaker and Stephanie Mack from St. Lawrence (Years 5-6), Benjamin Gardner from New Beacon (Years 7-8), Jacob Robinson from Sevenoaks (Years 9-11) and Sophie Westbrooke from Sevenoaks (Years 12-13). In her final year at Sevenoaks School, Livvy Sayers also received the ‘Lifetime Achievement’ award for her dedication to the competition from its small beginnings.
