Allegro Triumphs at Cambridge Community Music Festival

St Mary’s School, Cambridge is delighted to celebrate the success of our chamber choir, Allegro, who recently took part in the Cambridge Community Music Festival (CCMF) for the first time - and emerged as winners of their category.

As Allegro continues to go from strength to strength, the Music Department embraced the opportunity to enter them into CCMF as an exciting new venture for this academic year. The festival offers a nurturing and supportive platform for aspiring amateur musicians of all ages and backgrounds, uniting diverse ensembles from across the community.

Competing in the ‘large ensemble’ category as a 29-strong choir, Allegro performed in Class 801 on Sunday 16 March, sharing the stage with other impressive groups including a school orchestra and a substantial accordion ensemble.

Following the acclaim received at our Christmas Concert, Allegro reprised their enchanting performance of Stars by Ēriks Ešenvalds - a strikingly original piece that requires each singer to play a water-tuned glass, meticulously calibrated to specific pitches. This technique allows for rich, shimmering chord clusters that underpin the ethereal beauty of Sara Teasdale’s poetry, celebrating the majesty of the night sky.

The audience was captivated, with some members moved to tears. The adjudicator praised the choir’s musicality and stage presence, commenting:

“Your blend as a choir is lovely… Fabulously controlled diminuendo at the end… so many great things throughout, including the fact that you are multitasking.”

Allegro was awarded an outstanding score of 89, placing them at the top of their class and earning them the winner’s trophy for Class 801.

We are immensely proud of this achievement and congratulate all members of Allegro, under the expert direction of Ms Emma Fisher. Music Captain Alice K (soprano 1), photographed with the trophy in recognition of their talent, dedication and teamwork.