Teesside High School Winter Concert – Review

Monday 13 December 2021 | By Megan Connor

What an incredible night at Teesside High School!  Just four weeks after the brilliant All Together Now, another major performance event arrived on the calendar and once again, our students have impressed us all with their talent, resilience and determination to succeed, producing stunning performances all evening.  With a packed programme featuring everyone from Year 7 to Year 13, from solo items to whole year group performances, instrumental ensembles and choral pieces, there really was something for everyone to enjoy.  

Our Senior Orchestra opened the evening with several students making their debut in this ensemble, followed by super solo performances by Max, Macey and Ava, all of whom are in Year 10.  We were treated to a rousing rendition of Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat featuring students from KS4 and 5 including both our Education First exchange students, Nils and Kevin. Two beautiful duets also featured in the first half from Millie and Shanice in Year 13, and Bethea and Poppy in Year 7: a poignant final Christmas concert for two very experienced singers and a glimpse of the future talent to come.

Following the interval, it was the audience’s turn to get involved with the now traditional Twelve Days of Christmas, this year increasing the challenge by learning British Sign Language.  Senior Choir then performed a magical arrangement of Together in Electric Dreams before a truly festive piano solo from Nick.  Holly, Bethea and Elisa all sang wonderful solos showcasing an exceptional level of vocal skill and expertise.  Stella danced a mesmerising solo waltz before our Year 13 BTEC group performed a gospel number from the Brooklyn Tabernacle songbook.  The evening was brought to a rousing finale by the All Together Now cast group singing and dancing to The Happy Elf, complete with some of Santa’s own special elves delivering sweet treats to our audience.

I am grateful to everyone who has supported the live music events here at Teesside High School this term and am incredibly proud of every single performer, no matter what their role on the night. I was moved to tears by several of the evening’s pieces and I know I was not alone in that as there wasn’t a dry eye in the house at times! I hope you enjoyed the performance as much as I enjoyed putting it together, and look forward to seeing you all in March when we present Matilda Junior.

Mrs Shevels