MUSSELBURGH Grammar School got into the festive spirit ahead of the school holidays with their annual Christmas Concert.
The programme was full of festive cheer with a range of performances from the music department’s ensembles and soloists.
S6 pupil Tom Ferguson opened the night with a performance of Jingle Bells followed by a Hornpipe Set on bagpipes.
This was Tom’s final Christmas Concert with the secondary school and, as always, he set the tone for another night of excellent musical entertainment.
The feeder primary schools’ (Campie, Loretto RC and Stoneyhill) woodwind and brass students joined the Musselburgh Grammar School wind band for a festive performance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which put everyone in the Christmas spirit.
With the addition of the primary pupils, the wind band grew to become 70 pupils strong!
They played with a brilliantly strong sound and enabled primary pupils to begin building relationships within the music department.
The music team at Musselburgh Grammar School are already looking forward to welcoming them to the department in the future!
The Musselburgh Grammar School wind band played a further two pieces throughout the course of the night.
A performance of Soul Bossa Nova (rechristened as Snow Bossa Nova), had everyone tapping their toes and their presentation of Christmas at the Movies, compiling music from classic Christmas films like Home Alone and The Polar Express had the audience feeling nostalgic.
The school’s orchestra made its debut performance with renditions of O Douce Nuit and That’s What I Like.
This is the first time since before Covid-19 that the orchestra has had enough members to perform.
A variety of rock bands also performed throughout the night.
The junior rock band played angsty performances of Aerials by System of the Down and Complicated by Avril Lavigne.
The S4 rock band donned their Christmas jumpers for an electrifying rendition of Stereophonics’ Dakota and the senior rock band performed an atmospheric, acoustic version of Nirvana’s Heart-Shaped Box.
A pupil-led band named Dirty Campers played a Misfits set comprising of Skulls and Hybrid Moments.
Later in the evening another pupil led band named og gave an excellent performance of Someday by The Strokes.
A spokesperson for the school said: “This band has been together for over two years and their performance was extremely slick and professional, which matched their sharp suit-and-tie attire perfectly.
“The guitar ensemble was led by the guitar instructor Chris Day through an excellent performance of Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band (perhaps more widely known as the Top Gear Theme).
“All that was missing was The Stig!
“Both junior and senior choirs also performed.
“The junior choir Christmasified a cover of Taylor Swift’s Back to December and the seniors performed a beautifully haunting acapella version of Carol of the Bells complete with four-part harmony.
“The night wouldn’t be complete without a few solo performances.
“Trombonist Tess Devlin played J.A. Greenwood’s The Acrobat which earned her third place in the Rotary Club Young Musician of the Year Competition last month.
“Tess had the audience completely captivated as her playful performance showcased her incredible technical skill on trombone as well as her talents as an engaging performer.
“Kira Meszaros sang an extremely moving performance of On My Own from the famous musical Les Misérables.
“Kira also represented Musselburgh Grammar School at the Rotary Club Young Musician of the Year Competition last month for the second year running.
“Kira had the audience completely mesmerised and her performance was met with deafening applause.
“To close the show, S4 band About ’08 gave a festive performance of Elton John’s Step into Christmas which left even the grumpiest of Scrooges with a sense of Christmas cheer.”
Kenny Dickson, head of the expressive arts faculty, said: “We are so very proud of all the pupils who participated in the concert.
“They all work so hard to prepare their performances and their passion and enthusiasm is evident!
“A special thanks to our staff helpers who helped make the night run so smoothly and to the fantastic instrumental music service instructors, without whom this concert would not have been possible.
“Myself and my music team colleagues - Louie Anderson, Jess Funk and Ellie Ganson - are delighted to have such talented and motivated pupils in the department.
“We also want to thank all of the parents, families and carers who have supported our pupils and department over the years.”
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