Music
The Senior Orchestra
The Senior Orchestra has played symphonies by Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, and works such as Walton's Crown Imperial and Sibelius' Finlandia in the last few years. Recent tours have been to Virginia (2006), Sorrento (2008) and Catalonia (2010).
The String Orchestra
The String Orchestra has explored a wide range of repertoire from Bach's Brandenburg Concerto no 3 to Elgar's and Dag Wiren's Serenades. The String Orchestra have twice visited Shetland, joining forces with local string players.
The Junior Concert Band
The Junior Concert Band (with musicians aged 10-13) reaches an astonishing standard in works as varied as Susato's Danserye and Garland's In the Mood.
The Junior Orchestra
Younger string players work to excellent effect on a variety of repertoire, and are augmented by wind, brass and percussion at the annual Queen’s Hall Concert.
The Senior Concert Band
The Senior Concert Band tackles ambitious works such as Brahms' Academic Festival Overture and Shostakovich's Jazz Suite.
The Senior Wind Ensemble
The Senior Wind Ensemble has played music from the Mozart and Dvorak Serenades and more modern works such as Jean Francaix's Le Gay Paris and Kurt Weill's Threepenny Opera Suite.
The Big Band
The Big Band will (almost) persuade you that Glenn Miller is alive and well and living in Edinburgh, but they tackle much more recent music too.
Chamber Music
There are opportunities for our musicians to rehearse regularly and perform in smaller groups e.g. vocal octet, string quartet, and separate clarinet, saxophone, flute and brass ensembles, and these are often showcased in an annual Chamber Concert.
The Pipe Band
The Pipe Band, under the auspices of the Combined Cadet Force, plays an important part in the musical life of the school, performing on many occasions both formal and informal. Members of the Band also perform outside school for various clubs and associations, for Remembrance Day services and other events, and participate in the annual CCF Beating of Retreat ceremonies at Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyrood. The Band has won many competitions, including the Independent Schools CCF Competition on fifteen occasions.
The Choir
The Choir, nearly 200 strong, leads the worship at the annual Carol Service - in recent years carols composed by pupils have often been a feature - and gives two large-scale performances a year. In the winter the pupils perform on their own - recent works have included Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Verdi’s Requiem and Orff's Carmina Burana. The second concert is given in conjunction with the Choral Society and a specially invited orchestra.
Chamber Choir
The chamber choir comprises around 50 singers (in four parts). In March they distinguished themselves by winning the BBC Songs of Praise Choir of the Year Competition. Our singers are always enthusiastic; they have to be, as rehearsals take place before school at 8:15 four mornings per week! This continuity helps their voices develop carefully, and ensures that they learn a wide range of repertoire, which in turn improves their sight reading skills. Music is always carefully chosen, edited, arranged or transposed to best suit their young voices. They regularly sing sacred and secular music from the 16th century to the present day.
The E A Choral Society
Many, but not all, of the members of this thriving adult choir are present and former parents. Rehearsals take place every Wednesday evening during term time from 7.45- 9.30pm at Henderson Row. All are welcome without audition! There are two concerts a year: the first in early December, and the second in June in conjunction with the school choir in the Usher Hall.
Further Concerts
All the groups perform regularly: over 150 musicians take the Queen's Hall stage each May - a few final year pupils are given the opportunity to perform solo concerto movements - and there are major concerts each November in school or in Stockbridge.
Weekly lunchtime concerts in school give further opportunities for performance by soloists and small groups. We are always pleased to receive invitations to perform for charity purposes. Recent invitations have come from the Cameo Club at Blackhall, St Columba’s Hospice, the Corstorphine Trust, and St Stephen’s Church, Comely Bank.
Productions and Competitions
An opera or musical is put on at least every other year, with pupils contributing to the orchestra. Recent productions have included West Side Story, O what a lovely war!, Anything Goes and The Mikado.
Staff and pupils combine biennially to give concert performances of works such as Cosi Fan Tutte, The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Fidelio.
The growing popularity of the Academy Burns Suppers both in and out of school premises have given instrumentalists and singers further opportunities to perform. Burns Suppers also bring the Pipe Band to the fore.
Of all the Academy's musical occasions, perhaps the most remarkable and important is the Division Music Competition. The school divides into four Divisions right across the age-range, and each presents its own twenty-five minute programme of music for orchestra, choir and other groups under the direction of senior pupils. The high standards and the enthusiasm with which they are achieved reflect well on the state of music in the school.