Emotions stirred as Portsmouth High School stage stunning gala concert at the cathedral
Cracking rock riffs? Got it. Fun musical theatre and ukeleles? Covered. Spine-tingling solos and choirs? You bet.
There was no end to the musical talent on show at Portsmouth Cathedral last night as the girls of Portsmouth High School put on an inspirational feast of music at their gala concert. The mood and style jumped from number to number but constant throughout was the incredible high standards.
The rock group got the evening off to a rousing start with a fusion of Use Somebody by the Kings of Leon and The Killers’ Mr Brightside (what’s not to love with those two tracks?), before we quickly moved through Harmony soothing our souls with I Don’t Know How to Love Him from Jesus Christ Superstar, the Ukuladies playing a couple of cheeky numbers and on to Cantabile’s Ombra Mai Fu. The first half was then brought to a close with The Musical Theatre Group’s foot-tapping, finger-clicking, smile-inducing version of Another Day of Sun from La La Land. It certainly lit up the cathedral.
The interval gave everybody the chance to collectively marvel about how incredible the show had been before we had a similarly stellar second half, which showcased some amazing individual talents from Year 13 pupils. You could have heard a pin drop during the three solos - with Jasmine singing Spotlight from Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Lucy soloing Secondhand White Baby Grand from Smash and Kate-Louise playing Farewell to Stromness on the piano during which she appeared to live every note.
Then we were on to another level again with the Symphonic Orchestra playing San Giorgio at Dusk composed by Year 11’s Lauren after she had been inspired by Monet’s painting of that name in Venice, followed by the choir singing There is Another Sky composed by Year 12’s Aoki. The night was brought to a crescendo with the choir and orchestra combining for a stirring finale of Golden from the Netflix smash KPop Demon Hunters.
Well done to musical directors George Tinsley and Fiona Morris - but especially to all those taking to the stage. It was a show of high quality and soaring emotions in the fitting surroundings of the cathedral. I left with a smile on my face and a spring in my step as the wonderful sounds of the evening’s performance continued to swirl around my head.