On Thursday, 4th June, the Risedale School Main Hall was transformed into a concert venue as we welcomed two of the UK’s most celebrated classical performers: baritone Roderick Williams and accompanist Susie Allan. Arranged in partnership with the Swaledale Festival, the hour-long interactive performance brought together all Year 7 pupils, selected Year 8 & 9 pupils, and GCSE Music pupils from Year 10.

Embracing our "Family of Learners" ethos, the audience expanded beyond our own walls to include 47 young pupils from Hipswell Church of England Primary School alongside several guests from the local community.

While classical music might not feature on the daily playlists of many young people, pupils were introduced to the music through the school’s Character Education programme during tutor time earlier in the week. The response from the pupils was fantastic; they demonstrated outstanding RESPONSIBILITY and RESPECT during the performance, listening intently before driving a lively and inquisitive Q&A session at the end.

At the conclusion of the afternoon, Susie and Roderick were presented with flowers as a token of our appreciation. The event gave everyone the space to build new RELATIONSHIPS through art, inspiring attendees to be the BEST version of themselves. Reflecting on the visit, Senior Teacher for the Expressive Arts Faculty, Mrs Lumsdon, said:

"We are so privileged to host artists of this calibre. It was wonderful to see our pupils rise to the occasion and embrace this world-class opportunity with such open minds. Music has a unique power to connect people, and having all the pupils singing along together was a truly magical moment that shows what our family of learners is all about. I am incredibly proud of how they conducted themselves."

To find out more about the Swaledale Festival and its upcoming events, please visit https://www.swalefest.org 

#TeamRisedale 💙💜🧡❤️ #BEST

RESPONSIBILITY  RESPECT  RESILIENCE  RELATIONSHIPS