Holy Trinity Church Hall, London NW3

Some 30 people gathered in the Holy Trinity Church Hall on Saturday 16 of June for the first of two end-of-term BBCM workshops. As the event was organised mainly for BBCM pupils in French schools (breaking up for holidays at the end of June), French was definitely in the air as we all sang the well-known folk songs "Quand j'etais chez monpere... (arranged by Benjamin Britten), the inescapable "Frere Jacques" (also in the minor scale as arranged by Mahler in the slow movement of his First Symphony) and a more obscure French song "Voici le Printemps" about spring (in Benjamin Britten's arrangement). Clotilde Yap sung an excellent solo of "J'entends le loup, le renard et la belette", Rose Bungener brought a friend along with whom she performed a piano piece for four hands (Mary had a lamb) with true sensitivity, Hugo Cook and Salome Auberge played the violin beautifully. A Montenegrin family - brothers Stefan and Filip Vukcevic with their parents Voya and Natasha - enchanted us with a Serbo-Croatian song (serving as the opening theme for Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony) and two brilliant piano pieces, including Brahms Hungarian dances that unleashed thunderous applause from the audience, although Agnes pointed out that they were definitely not Hungarian folk dances. Sary-style group contemporary musical composition with audience participation wrapped the afternoon before delicious refreshments were served, diligently organised by Sarah Auberge (mother of Salome).

Marie-Christine Abousleiman
Mother of Marc, 2nd year class