On Saturday 17 March 2018, the King Edward VI School Choir were joined by the Mid Northumberland Chorus to perform Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana at The Kings Hall, Newcastle University.

In this sold out concert, the combined choir of nearly 150 singers performed alongside professional singers Alex Jones (Baritone), Isolde Roxby (Soprano) and Robert Chavner (Counter Tenor), concert pianists David Murray and Sarah Gordon Robinson and a team of six professional percussionists.

The first half of the evening heard The KEVI Community Orchestra performing exciting symphonic music such as Gabriel’s Oboe from the film ‘The Mission’, the main theme from ‘Game of Thrones’ and music from the soundtrack to ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ with the Newgate Brass Quintet giving their first public performance with a jazzy rendition of ‘Just A Closer Walk’.

The second half of the evening saw the KEVI Choir and Mid Northumberland Chorus sing the musical masterpiece, Carmina Burana, which is probably the most frequently performed choral work of the 21st century. The name has Latin roots as “Carmina” means “songs”, while “Burana” is the Latinised form of Beuren, the name of the Benedictine monastery of Benediktbeuren in Bavaria. The work is very challenging to sing not only because of its complex rhythms and wide vocal range but because the texts in the songs use a diverse mix of Latin, Middle High German, and medieval French!

It was a great achievement for all who were involved and the audience gave all the performers a standing ovation at the end to show their appreciation.

Conductor for the evening was Mr Forbes, our Head of Music.