The music department here at CRGS believe strongly in involving students in activities outside the normal routine of the classroom, and below is just a brief outline of some of the things that have happened recently.

Choral Music

Our boys’ choir, which has reached nearly 100 members, provides a fun, hard-working singing environment which appeals to one in four boys when they join the school in Year Seven. But inclusiveness does not mean mediocre standards. Far from it. The trebles of the boys’ choir have sung with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and provide ripieno choirs for performances of Bach’s St Matthew Passion with choirs such as The English Arts Chorale and Eye Bach Choir.

The full choir has performed Karl Jenkins’ The Armed Man, A Mass for Peace on several occasions including at Snape Maltings with professional orchestra and, by invitation, with Lexden Choral Society. Tours take the choir to European centres, where performances have received acclaim. New for the academic year 2009-10, our Chamber Choir provides sixth form students the chance to tackle choral music in the energising environment of an exclusively sixth-form peer group.

Orchestral Music & Ensembles

The CRGS Orchestra performs major repertoire such as the finale of Saint-Saens’ “Organ” Symphony, Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony, and Mars from Holst’s Planets Suite. The First Orchestra, for more advanced players, can undertake all the movements of a Haydn Symphony with some success.

Other ensembles are busy and vibrant, offering continuity of learning but with sufficient flexibility for groupings to evolve
with students’ skills and needs. These include Guitar Ensemble, Junior String and Wind Groups, and many more.

Listen to a snippet of Vivaldi's Concerto in G, played by the Guitar Ensemble, 29/6/2009; 

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Stage Shows

Staged musical productions have included a full-scale and spectacular production of Smetana’s The Bartered Bride
using a professional new translation and full orchestral accompaniment. Junior boys have performed John Rutter’s Bang! directed both on stage and musically by sixth-form students.

Latest Productions