Musica Batley Going Solo

Musica Kirklees join Batley Grammar School Students in Soloists’ Evening at Graves Hall

Article by Damon Whittle

On Monday 11th November, students from Musica Kirklees performed alongside students from Batley Grammar School at an event held in the Graves Hall at Batley Grammar School.

 

The event was an evening of soloists, who played a wide range of music to suit everyone’s tastes from classical to more contemporary pieces, and some blues and jazz thrown in for good measure.

 

The soloists’ evening was well attended, staff actually had to fetch more chairs. The tickets were £3 each, and the proceeds will go to improving music tutoring services for both Batley Grammar and Musica Kirklees.

 

The venue itself is quite a historic one, as Batley Grammar was formerly a private school, it has all the trimmings to match, including their own Steinway piano, a brand which is very much adored by pianists. Vintage Steinway pianos can often set you back over a hundred thousand pounds.

 

The selection process for the soloists was different for both schools. Teachers at Musica Kirklees put forward students whom they think should perform at the event on a referral-type basis, the auditions were held at the Batley Grammar School.

 

Jennifer Isaacs, Musica Kirklees Area Manager - Batley, stated that “it’s important for students to perform with the pressures of exams or judgement, and to perform just for the love of it”.