Summer Orchestral Weeks: There’s No Planet B

Returning to Sherborne for a week of music making!

At Sherborne School, our 12–13-year-old musicians spent a week preparing for their summer concert, There’s No Planet B, at Bristol Beacon, with rehearsals alongside plenty of creative work and activities.

Conducted by Matthew Quinn, the orchestra worked closely with their tutors throughout the week, with rehearsals and sectionals forming the backbone of their time together. As the programme came together, the musicians had plenty of opportunity to explore the detail of the repertoire and build confidence in their playing.

Alongside the full rehearsals, the musicians took part in Surround Sound, led by Creative Lead Delia Stevens. Inspired by the theme of their concert, There’s No Planet B, groups were given a piece from the orchestral programme alongside a poem from Poems from a Green and Blue Planet, a collection of poems exploring Earth by Sabrina Mahfouz. Working together, they created musical soundtracks for their chosen poems, using ideas from the concert repertoire as a starting point.

There was plenty happening away from rehearsals too. The Support Team organised an NCO Disco, which also gave everyone a chance to celebrate Support Team member Phoebe’s birthday, while Michelle’s crafts kept everyone busy during recreation time.

There were plenty of lighter moments during the week too, some of which made their way onto social media. The French horns put their own spin on Chariots of Fire, while the double basses took on a game of ‘Red Light, Green Light’ from inside their instrument cases!

The musicians also had the chance to explore their instruments in a different way when trumpet tutor Will brought along some of his period instruments to show the trumpet section. Naomi Wilkinson, who returned as presenter for the concert, also shared a Thought for the Day during the week, talking about some of the experiences she has had through her work and giving the musicians plenty to think about.

The week culminated in There’s No Planet B at Bristol Beacon. The programme explored themes of nature and the environment, taking the audience from Sibelius’ Finlandia and Portman’s Endangered through to Holst’s Jupiter from The Planets, Zimmer’s Earth and Márquez’s Conga del Fuego Nuevo. Naomi Wilkinson returned to present the concert.

The concert also featured the premiere of The Beavers of Bristol, a new piece created through NCO’s project with Horfield CofE Primary School. Two Year 6 pupils from the school joined the orchestra on stage to introduce the piece, inspired by conservation efforts and the return of once-endangered beavers to the River Avon.

After a week of rehearsals, creative projects, birthday celebrations and plenty of fun, the musicians headed to Bristol Beacon to bring There’s No Planet B to the stage. From Sibelius to The Beavers of Bristol, it was a brilliant way to round off their week!