House singing rehearsals were directed by the Form 8s, with songs chosen in line with our theme: the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War 2. The conductors’ styles differed significantly. Carroll’s was the most serious, with heartfelt singing accompanied by wellplanned harmony parts performed by older boys. Ambitious Sayers (dubbed ‘the Yellow Army’) had devised a series of complicated embellishments for their song, including descants and a canon, whilst Wolsey worked hard on clicking and clapping off-beats against their jazzy melody; a surprisingly tricky task for classically-trained young musicians!

Mark Wilderspin, Director of Music at St Paul’s School in London, proved a witty and insightful adjudicator at the final, giving really useful advice not just to the finalist instrumentalists but also to the whole school. He praised the wonderful atmosphere, the professional stagecraft of every single finalist, but he was also impressed by the healthy number of ‘rare’ instruments, which are always in high demand at senior schools. This year’s House Singing was unforgettable, with conductors clad in outfits that matched the military theme. There were helmets, flags, and a bandaged soldier who might have been mistaken for a zombie. I suspect the Cathedral may never see anything like it again...

In the end it was Carroll who emerged as overall victors, thanks to a high number of auditions plus individual successes at the final - but I was delighted to hear Sayers and Wolsey boys already plotting their moves for 2026 in order to steal Carroll’s crown. Well done to our brilliant instrumental finalists - but a huge THANK YOU must go to all the boys in Prep for making the event so much fun, and to the teaching and music staff for their enthusiasm and support. I can hardly wait until next year!