Working 'in harmony' with local primary school musicians

The ancient walls of St Nicholas Church, Abbotsbury, will be resonating with the sounds of Jazz as a form of evensong thanks to the young musicians from Sherborne Girls and Portesham C of E Primary School.

The two schools are joining together to perform their ‘In Harmony’ concert at the Abbotsbury church at 7.30pm on Friday, 4 May.   

Rehearsals began in April, with the ten members of the Sherborne Girls Jazz Ensemble hard at work practising repertoire including a special arrangement of ‘Halleluiah’. Another new arrangement, ‘Walking Together’, will be created and improvised in the concert itself, and is the result of a music workshop held at Portesham School on 1 May with conductor of the Jazz Ensemble Jenny Nelson and pianist Simon Clarkson.

A core part of Sherborne Girls’ musical mission is its work beyond the school, looking outwards and delivering a music outreach programme across Dorset.  This includes music-making in Dorset churches with the Sherborne Open Gate Club, those in hospitals and long-term care and numerous community engagement projects within the local Sherborne community.

Jenny Nelson, conductor of the Sherborne Girls Jazz Ensemble, is delighted that the concert has come to fruition and added:

“The concert programme has something for everyone, with sparkling arrangements of Swing and Latin Jazz, ‘Nocturne’ ‘Halleluiah’, ‘Happy’, and ‘Turn the Beat Around’ featuring the ensemble’s drummer, saxophones, trumpet players, trombonist and bass player, and children of Portesham and the local community.  Just like the concert title, these young musicians have learnt to merge together ‘in harmony’ as instrumentalists, singers and percussionists.”

There is no charge for the concert, but concert-goers may support St Nicholas Church with a retiring collection for church funds and local Dorset charities.