As the culmination of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s ‘New Horizons Education and Communication’s 2015/16 Spring project, first year GCSE students from South London schools performed innovative responses to Sibelius’ The Tempest. Having worked and played with LPO workshop leaders and musicians over a five week period, both groups gave convincing performances that encapsulated central characters and themes from Shakespeare’s original play, whilst also engaging with Sibelius’ score in a fresh and creative manner.

St Ursula’s Convent School of Royal Greenwich commenced the evening’s event with a depiction of the storm that frames Shakespeare’s original narrative. These moments were compelling: impressive execution of ranging dynamics (a strength throughout the performance) conveyed the stormy effect of the swelling sounds heard in the overture of Sibelius’ own composition. The addition of punctuated cello plucking was particularly effective in articulating the agitated temper of the storm.

Also incorporated was thematic material from Ariel’s mystical song from Act I, ‘Come Unto These Yellow Sands’. This was another highlight of the piece, as four vocalists maintained impressive pitch with difficult harmonies - the haunting dissonance of their final chord was particularly stirring as it lingered in the auditorium. The arrangement of woodwind passages was magical and created a dazzling effect, illustrating an impressive grasp on realising music’s potential for narration and characterisation - a concept that will do the students well when it comes to realising their individual compositions as part of their GCSE assessment.

The second performance of the evening, given by students from Lewisham’s Trinity School, also demonstrated moments of articulate characterisation of themes and narratives from both Shakespeare and Sibelius’ works. Entitled ‘Tempestuous’, the piece began with evocative scoring and instrumentation - notably the use of electric guitar - that created an atmospheric opening in their depiction of the storm. Instrumental techniques were also made effective use of in the concluding section: aiming to portray the sorcery and trickery evoked in Sibelius’ ‘Dance of the Naiads’, the use of flutter tonguing on the flute was a conjuring addition.

Most noteworthy in the Trinity School’s piece were particular performers. The saxophonist gave a consistently fluid performance with well articulated solo parts, while the male lead vocalist had impressive control and time keeping, and projected his voice with strength and conviction during an arrangement of music thematically informed by ‘Ariel’s melancholy’ and ‘Caliban’s anger’.

Occasional pitching and collective time-keeping issues aside, both performances showed an overall impressive level of musicianship and creativity, and as such served as a testimony to the success of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s programme. The evening was a reminder of the importance of such schemes in schools and for young people: a commendable example of how organisations can work with education institutions to generate enthusiasm for the arts in an interactive way.