The Summer Soirée is most certainly one of the highlights of the musical calendar and this year was no exception, the weather, the music, the company were all there in the right mix to make it a night to remember. The only obvious absence was of its orchestrator, Mr Reeves who works tirelessly every year to make it all happen on the night! So when we discovered that Mr and Mrs Reeves' baby daughter chose the (very early) morning of the Soirée to make her arrival in to the world (impeccable timing Lottie!) we knew this year's summer evening of music would be particularly memorable!

After last year's damp and drizzly June, Mr Reeves decided to take no chances and the Festival Dome made its second appearance on the Headmaster's Lawn. This year's dome, complete with a professional stage, sound and lighting system, gave a truly festival feeling to the evening. The addition of individual microphones ensured that all the ensembles from big bands such as The Thundering Herd and Six Foot Five, to the quieter groups such as the Guitar ensemble and the Flute ensemble, as well as the small soloists in Junior Choir were heard over the sound of the crowd!

An impressive 22 ensembles performed a huge variety of items, from the irreverent Highway to Hell played by The Rock Academy to the sublime voices of the Chapel Choir singing You Raise me Up. We were even treated to a roving performance by Five Foot Six, who took their improvisation skills to a new level amongst the picnickers!

The Summer Soirée is the grand finale to a year of music making at Farleigh and we are grateful for the dedicated and talented music teachers who spend so much time preparing the children for every event at which they perform. An unbelievable 255 children took part in the 2017 Summer Soiree, and there are many more exciting events planned for next year. Watch this space...

Teresa Henderson