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Verdi Spectacular

The most ambitious musical performance in St Clement Danes’ history took place on Saturday evening at the Watford Colosseum when the school’s first orchestra was joined by its choirs and those from Parmiter’s School and the Tring Choral Society to perform the Verdi Requiem.

Conducted by Director of Music Anna Stevens, the talented musicians had the honour of performing with world class soloists: SCD parents Melissa Alder (soprano), Christine Rice (Mezzo Soprano) and David Gwynne-Evans (Tenor) and Old Dane Thomas Isherwood (Baritone). The orchestra also included local professional musicians, parents and ex-students along with members of the Amersham Band. With nearly 200 choir members and 100 in the orchestra, the sound was incredible, both in the climactic moments of the Dies Irae and in the exquisitely beautiful passages in the Libera me.

Dr Valentine, who sang in the choir, said it was the most memorable moment in all her years at the school and paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of Miss Stevens in rehearsing such a large scale event over the past months. Anna Stevens said ‘it was a real privilege to conduct such an amazing group of people’. After a lengthy standing ovation, audience members took to Twitter to record their admiration for the performance, with one saying ‘Incredible. And congrats to all for the sheer chutzpah in putting on this outrageously good #verdirequiem.’ All involved at St Clement Danes will now be taking a well-earned break as school ends for the summer.

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29th January

Sporting Success: A Season of Triumphs for the PE Faculty

It has been an exceptional start to the year for our sports teams, with pupils across Year 7 and Year 11 delivering outstanding performances on the pitch, the court and the track. Here is a roundup of the latest results from the PE Faculty. Football Successes: The Year 11 Boys football team produced a fantastic display to reach the U16 County Cup Quarter Finals. While all 15 squad members contributed superbly to the team effort, special mention must go to Frankie and Myles, who were named Players of the Match after scoring two spectacular long range strikes. Ollie and Sammy also found the net to complete the scoring. Meanwhile, the Year 7B team showed true grit in wet conditions to secure their second win in the district league against CDS. A great goal from David and a composure-filled penalty from Player of the Match, Zak, secured the victory.  Athletics Achievements: Our Year 7 Athletics teams have seen their dedication pay off after training hard on Thursdays throughout the term. At the TR&W SSP Indoor Athletic Meeting, the Girls’ team took home a brilliant 1st place, while the Boys’ team finished a strong 3rd. We also have a massive individual achievement to celebrate. Theo (Year 7) has been crowned the U13 South of England Shot Put Champion at the Lee Valley Indoor Track. In what was his first-ever indoor competition, Theo smashed his personal best by 50cm. He also showed great pace on the track, reaching the semi-finals of the U13 60m sprint and missing out on the final by a heartbreaking 0.06 seconds. Basketball Season Opener: The basketball season got off to a super start with a thrilling game against Rickmansworth School. In a contest between two evenly matched sides, our team came out on top, led by a fine performance from captain Seth. Congratulations to all pupils for their hard work and sportsmanship!