Week 7 - 22 to 28 February

Verse Speaking Competition

The Modern and Ancient Languages Verse Speaking Competition on Thursday 25 February was organised by Miss Emily Fox (teacher of French) with the help of other Charterhouse teachers who coached the competitors. The standard was very high, so particular congratulations go to the winners in each category:

Under School German

John Reeve (R)

Under School Latin

Frederick Foulston (R)

Under School Spanish

Jonathan Stocks (S)

Under School Chinese

Alexander Kiselev (g)

Under School French

Kush Kanji (G)         

Under School Greek

Louis Thomson (S)                           

Specialists German

Bill Freeman (S)

Specialists Latin

Celia Wells (G)

Specialists Italian (ab initio)

William Davies (B)

Specialists Spanish 

William Davies (B)

Specialists Chinese 

Giovanni Dos Reis Montefiori (B) 

Specialists French

Lina Jeffcock (G)

Specialists Greek

Charles Kershaw (R)

Music

Music

The concert at the Cardinal Clinic was on Monday 22 February in Windsor, featuring many of our top musicians. The musical groups included the String Quartet, String Septet, Violin Quartet and The Norfolk Ensemble. There was also music from the Brass Group, Wind Music Society, and The Saxophone Quartet who all performed pieces by composers which included Schubert, Rossini, Handel, Telemann as well as more contemporary composers such as John Ireland. The evening was rounded up by the Chamber Choir who sang the haunting Blue Moon by Rodgers and Hart and I Got Rhythm by George and Ira Gershwin.

On Sunday 28 February in Chapel the Choir performanced the Poulenc Anthem, in which Aimee de Havas’ solo was beautifully done. 

This Wednesday 2 March in Memorial Chapel, the Burczyk Singers (a group of elite singers at Charterhouse) will be performing as part of a Passiontide service of readings and music.

Among the items to be performed is a new work composed especially for the service by one of our Second Year Specialists (Year 13), Frederick Hervey-Bathurst (G). The piece to be performed is entitled ‘Dissolve my Heart’ and is a touching setting from the Lutheran translation of the New Testament. The work will be the last performed in a sequence of music, poetry and scripture with other motets by Thomas Tallis, Tomas Luis de Victoria and Phillip Moore. 

All are welcome to attend the service which begins at 8.00 pm.

Charterhouse was privileged to have the eminent curator and art historian, Giles Waterfield (Courtauld Institute of Art) who delivered a stimulating Watts Lecture, ‘The Artist’s Studio’ on Wednesday 24 February.

This was a timely lecture as the Watts Gallery has just opened GF Watt’s house and studio, the beautifully restored, Grade II-listed Limnerslease. Currently, Giles Waterfield is Senior Research Fellow at the Watts Gallery working on the ‘Artist Studio Museum Network’. The project aims to connect the public to some extraordinary artist spaces around Europe. Combining his experience as former director of Dulwich Picture Gallery and working with artists and their Studios within a historical context, contributed to an entertaining and insightful lecture. Giles Waterfield gave us a glimpse into artists’ spaceswhere the illusive creative process takes place.  A world where Charterhouse pupils, working towards their Art GCSEs and Pre-Us, are only too familiar with.

“The artist's studio is, and always has been, both a functional space and an emotionally-charged one, both a work area and an extension of the artist's persona. The character of the studio has been altered through the centuries, but certain archetypes recur. Always crossing the border between private and public domain, the studio has remained a place for artists to reveal or to conceal themselves.For the viewer it can offer an unparalleled opportunity to glimpse the creative processes behind the work of art, potentially exposing the moment of alchemy and the expression of creative genius."   Giles Waterfield  

The Pro Corda National Chamber Music Festival finals took place in Sevenoaks on Sunday 13 March. Charterhouse School U14 Violin Quartet were awarded ‘Chamber Champions’. They are one of just six groups from across the UK who have been awarded this prestigious prize. 

Pro Corda provide an opportunity for chamber groups of all instruments throughout the country to take part in this annual celebratory festival of talent and music.

Week 9 - 7 to 13 March

Music

Many congratulations to Owen Chan, Bradley Yih, Henry Le Feber Robertson and Dmitry Chizhov (playing Telemann’s Concerto for Four Violins in D major) who made it through to the Final of the 'Pro Corda National Chamber Music Festival' at Sevenoaks on Sunday 13 March. 

On Sunday 13 March the Choral Concert, comprising works by Vaughan Williams, Blatchly and Poulenc, was outstanding. The choir sang with great passion and accuracy, and the soloists were particularly impressive: in the Vaughan Williams, Joe Deery, Frederick Hervey-Bathurst, Bella Hill, Rebecca Morrish, Ben Munden, Ruby O’Kane, Christian Pethick, and Yolande Rowson made a quite beautiful sound amid the sumptuous orchestration. In the Poulenc Gloria, Aimee de Havas was a complete revelation. Stephanie Tso’s violin accompaniment was more than equal to the challenges set by Vaughan Williams. The orchestral version of Mr Blatchly’s piece For the Dead was again a revelatory performance, conducted by the composer himself. My thanks to Mr Shepherd and his team for all their hard work at the culmination of the Quarter’s musical activities.     

Drama

Last week there was an excellent production of Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy A Chorus of Disapproval, in which no fewer than seven pupils made their theatre debuts. Comedy, as they say, is a serious business and the play demanded a great deal of technique and expertise from the cast and crew. Without exception, everyone rose to the challenge and produced well-crafted and accomplished performances which did justice to the text.  It is also a difficult play to stage technically, with multiple scene changes all of which need to be executed swiftly and smoothly.  The excellent crew, backstage and in the control room, were faultless in this regard and contributed enormously to the production’s success. 

“I wish to God they were professionals. Then I could sack them” grumbles the volatile Welsh director Dafydd ap Llewellyn as yet another of his painfully slow rehearsals descends into chaos. Llewellyn, magnificently portrayed by James Akka (G), is the long suffering director of PALOS, the Pendon Amateur Light Operatic Society central to Alan Ayckbourn’s light comedy, A Chorus of Disapproval. This is the company in which Guy Jones, a diffident office-worker, finds himself as he seeks distraction from the recent death of his wife. As the sincere Guy, expertly underplayed by Michael Freeman (S), is auditioned by Dafydd and endearingly camp pianist, Mr Ames, Owen Elton (BH), the misfit members of PALOS slip silently into the room. The production is The Beggar’s Opera and Guy is cast in the minor role of Crook-Fingered Jack.

We then follow three months of calamitous rehearsals, shady business propositions, and bedroom shenanigans during which events conspire to catapult Guy into the production’s leading role while he simultaneously makes enemies of the society’s members. The dear but theatrically incompetent Washbrooks – Caroline Smith (S) and Chris Wilkinson (R), fall foul of Dafydd’s directorial impatience. Their daughter, Linda , Alice Gunn (V), has her yobbish boyfriend and reluctant leading man, Crispin, Harry Poil (L), stolen by graceless and confrontational barmaid and prompt, Bridget, Katherine Trafford (P). Guy manages to begin two affairs by accident: Dafydd’s mousy wife, Hannah, and gregarious swinger, Fay, played respectively by Beatrice Rees-Mogg (V) and Olivia Humphreys (F), clash hilariously over a pair of paisley pants in public. Fay’s slimy husband, Harvey Pratt (B), and steam engine fan, Jarvis, complete with Herbie Pyke’s (L) well-observed thick Yorkshire accent, manage to put Guy in an impossibly unethical position with regards the value of a small plot of local land. Rebecca Huntley-Pike, Emma Loubser (L), who is unashamedly middle-class and undismayed by Dafydd’s attempts to hide her behind scenery during performances, manages finally to clinch the leading role for Guy whose precarious promises collapse disastrously during a side-splittingly choreographed lighting rehearsal.

It is widely appreciated by actors and directors that comedy is hard. The frequency and raucousness of the Charterhouse audience’s laughter was a fine indication of the expert guidance given by director Julian Freeman to the cast, several of whom were making their debuts in the Ben Travers Theatre. For those that attended, the production proved a wonderfully uplifting antidote to a gruelling term.

Monday 11 to Sunday 17 April

Music

Christian Banks Singing  08130  Distinction

On Friday 15 April there was an excellent Prize Winners’ Concert featuring the very best performances of last terms’ prize competitions. Christian Pethick, Max Kam, Owen Chan, Ben Birch, Ben Gardner and Aster Chun performed very well accompanied by Mr Blatchly (teacher of Academic Music) and Mr Shepherd (Director of Music). 

Mr Smeeton (Head of Woodwind) took the Jazz Band on tour to Spain during the Easter holidays. The Band played superbly at a number of high profile venues to large crowds and participated in the Granada Festival.

Design and Technology

Four Remove pupils (Year 10) represented Charterhouse in the final of Siemens’ ‘The Next Big Thing’ Challenge’ for Schools on Thursday 10 May. Since January they have been working hard towards designing and developing a new system that uses modern materials and technology to apply casts quickly and safely to broken bones.

This year’s competition was fierce and one of the closest finals seen to date. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful in our efforts to take the title, but the group performed tremendously well and enthusiastically presented their ideas to the judges on the day.

Music

The Burcyzck Singers performed with great musicality and sensitivity at the Ascension Day Eucharist on Thursday 5 May. It was Father Stephan’s last occasion to celebrate Eucharist at the School.

Charity Tie and Pin 

The School Monitors designed a ‘charity’ tie and lapel pin in February to raise money for the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). The charity tie, devised and initiated by Aisling Tuffy and Rory Fisk, is now being successfully marketed to Old Carthusians (OCs). So far 91 ties and 32 pins have been bought and a number of OCs have said they would like to make a gift in support of Aisling and Rory’s initiative.

Artifex is now in its third year and, from humble beginnings, we have reached a total of over fifty events centred on everything from art, music, drama, film to food and photography. This year sees the introduction of an exciting new temporary venue on J Ground - our Artifex Dome. The Dome will play host to our Jazz Night (this is a ticketed event), Summer Concert, Late Night Shakespeare among many other events. In the Ben Travers Theatre, we have performances of And Then There Were None, produced, performed and directed by pupils. Following in our tradition of outdoor productions we have the extraordinary exploration of Mozart in Peter Shaffer's play Amadeus, which will be given in two performances on the Friday and Saturday. This year also sees the introduction of a three-night series of early evening recitals curated by our pupils: Concert in the Cloister. Throughout the Festival we also have running exhibitions of work by our Pre-U Artists, the Designer of the Yearcompetitions and exhibitions of photography. Among the more unusual events on offer is the return of our Cinema on the Ceiling in Chapel, as well as workshops on sugar art from the award-winning Michelle Wibowo. Our pupils are also undertaking the serious enterprise of a full reading of The Odyssey over three days. The Festival will draw to a close with theSummer Concert in the Artifex Dome on Sunday 26 June, followed by a drinks reception. 

Pupils, parents and Old Carthusians are all warmly invited to join us for what promises to be another exciting Artifex, which will be a great opportunity to see the extraordinary cultural talent on show here at Charterhouse. Almost all of the events are open to parents and it would be a real pleasure to welcome you. Please feel free to come along to as many events as you would like. Some events are ticketed and will need prior booking to ensure a place (on a first come, first served basis). 

Click on the link below to access the full online programme and booking information:

Programme

Key

• Art
• Debates
• Film
• Food and Drink
• Literature
• Miscellaneous
• Music
• Theatre

This year's Carthusian Day is on Saturday 28 May. Parents and friends of Charterhouse are most welcome.

For the full programme of events please select the link below:

Charterhouse picnic hampers can be pre-ordered from the Little Picnic Company and collected on the day from inside the marquee on J Ground. If you would like to purchase a hamper, please visit: www.littlepicniccompany.co.uk/charterhouse-carthusian-day/ 

Orders must be placed by 8am on Friday 20 May 2016.

The main events for Carthusian Day are:

Monday 23 to Sunday 29 May

Music 

On Tuesday 24 May, the Singing Prizes were awarded by award winning Tenor, Mr Nathan Vale to Harry Pascoe (Junior event) and Rupert Peacock (Intermediate). 

Mia Vallance’s painting ‘White Sheets’ has been selected for the A-level Summer Exhibition Online. This year, 1,400 aspiring artists attending sixth form colleges or schools submitted their work, including shortlisted pupil James Wallis, with his painting ‘Space for People’.

The exhibition of 46 exceptional works of art were selected by an expert panel: Royal Academician Bob and Roberta Smith, Head of Architecture Kate Goodwin, and RA Schools student Claire Undy. All the works of art are available to view on the RA A-level Exhibition website: A-Level Summer Exhibition Online

Painting top to bottom: Mia Vallance ‘White Sheets’, James Wallis ‘Space for People’ 

We are delighted to announce that Old Carthusian Day 2016 will be held on Saturday 24 September. 

As well as being an opportunity to visit the School and see old friends, there will be plenty of activities to enjoy. The day will begin with House tours at midday and will conclude with a service in the Memorial Chapel at 5 pm.

We would be most grateful if you would let us know if you would like to attend, and how many guests you will be bringing with you, as this will help us enormously with the organisation of the day.

To register your attendance please click here and complete a short form.

This was the year that Artifex (Charterhouse Arts Festival) really came into its own. It was a huge success and has reawakened the creative life of the School, with pupils going to the sort of events they would never have been to before. Charterhouse is a school with creativity at its core.

We saw the return of the International Fair in Hall with pupils representing a broad range of countries, from Oman to Nigeria. Various delicacies from around the world were tasted by a thankful crowd - a great celebration of the diverse cultures here at Charterhouse. The next day, our international theme was developed in our modern languages 'Ubuntu' evening with food, drink and readings in a broad range of languages with some of our finest linguists. 

We transformed the chapel into a cinema for two nights this year with special showings of 'The Blind Side' and 'Searching for Sugar Man' projected onto the ceiling for an audience cozily laying on the floor of the chapel with duvets! 

The Pre-U Art exhibition showed off the extraordinary artistic talent here, as did the wonderful photography from the analogue photography exhibition 'Life and Death'. 

Theatre played a significant role in this year's festival with a polished production of Peter Shaffer's 'Amadeus' in front of the west end of chapel, latterly moving into the body of the building itself for the final scenes. Michael Freeman (S) and Jamie Stapleton (S) gave exceptional performances as Mozart and Salieri respectively - brilliant performances from two pupils only in their second year at the School. They were accompanied by a team of young musicians who created the musical drama behind Shaffer's text. Oliver Geffen (D) directed a pupil-led production of the classic 'And Then There Were None' in the Ben Travers Theatre to full audiences. To have a pupil-directed production of such a high quality is a rare thing indeed. This, and the Bodeites House production of 'Treasure Island', made for an excellent dramatic offering this year. 

One of the major innovations this year was our Artifex Dome on J Ground which added a unique festival atmosphere to the place. Like any great festival, pupils going from event to event enjoying whatever was on offer. In the Dome, we started with a brilliantly witty concert from our multi-talented maths teacher, Mr Owen Elton. On top of this, 'Late Night Shakespeare' saw parts of 'As you like it' read in a rehearsed performance-style. The next day, the Dome was transformed into a Jazz Club with a superb evening of music given by our highly polished Jazz Quartet (this year accompanied by a professional Jazz percussionist) and later in the evening sixty pupils came for a very popular introduction to mindfulness meditation with our resident expert, Revenant Chris O'Neill. 

Other Artifex Dome events included a late-night 'Unplugged' music session, the launch of our annual 'Charterhouse Review' (a published collection of pupil-authored literature) and Perception Society talks led by pupils, which included a fascinating introduction to 'Artificial Intelligence' led by Riccardo Mokhtari (B). The Dome was packed for the showing of the short film competition entries on the Friday evening with the winning entry by Luis Enriquez (g). On the Saturday afternoon, Michelle Wibowo (award-winning food artist) led some fascinating hands-on sessions in chocolate art and sugar painting with a group of lucky participants. It was in the Dome that this year's Artifex drew to a close with our highly enjoyable 'Summer Concert' given by our talented musicians. 

The arts are alive and kicking at Charterhouse. Pupil-led creativity is the watchword and we look forward to seeing how Artifex and the arts can grow over the coming years. 

Art 

The Specialist Art pupils (Year 12 and 13) had an inspiring talk from Valeria Napoleone on Friday 9 September, who is one of the foremost collectors of contemporary art. Valeria was most impressed by the interest and engagement of many of our pupils who stayed to talk to her afterwards. 

On the evening of Saturday 10 September were private views of two shows by art teachers, Helen Pinkney and Mags Orson, both very different but equally impressive. 

An excellent week for Art at Charterhouse was topped off by the School being named as the best school in the country for Art by the schools guide in The Week Magazine. 

Works of Art by Peter Monkman (Director of Art at Charterhouse) and his daughter Anna (a former pupil at the School), were both shortlisted in the Wells Art Contemporary International Open Art Competition (The WAC Awards). Anna, who attended Charterhouse for Sixth Form between 2013 and 2015, was awarded the Special Judges Award at the Private View on Friday 7 October. Justin Mortimer, internationally celebrated contemporary painter and a judge of the competition, said that Anna had an incredibly sophisticated use of visual languages in her work for someone so young. 

Anna’s work was composed of painting and video. Peter Monkman’s entry was ironically an apocalyptic painting which used Anna as the model. Anna was also the model in the Peter’s Changeling 2 painting, winning him the prestigious BP Portrait Award in 2009.

The WAC Awards  is an open competition for contemporary visual art that is gaining praise and respect in Britain and abroad. It was established five years ago by a group of artists and their friends in Wells, the beautiful cathedral city in the South-West of England. The 2016 competition generated a record number of 723 entries, with a shortlist of 86. These works, including Anna’s and Peter’s, are being exhibited in the magnificent surroundings of the Bishops Palace, Wells, between 8 and 22 October.

Charterhouse is hosting the FACE TO FACE exhibition of portraits by local artist, Jo Shepherd. The exhibition celebrates the lives of people with profound and multiple disabilities.

Jo, from Godalming, has worked for the past seven years with the residents of High Hurlands Nursing Home and Community Homes as an art and music therapist. The exhibition celebrates the lives of 14 of the residents, many of whom came to the opening of the exhibition. Charterhouse is delighted to be hosting this wonderful exhibition and members of the public are welcome to view the portraits in Concert Hall at Charterhouse on Saturday, 15th October between 2pm to 5pm. 

Jo has been overwhelmed by the interest and appreciation of these works and says, “I am thrilled that these portraits are raising the profile of people with profound and multiple disabilities.”

BBC South Today came to Charterhouse on 11th October to film the exhibition and meet Jo for their news programmes. You can view this news coverage on the BBC South Today Facebook page: 

All the residents of High Hurlands have profound learning disabilities as well as complex physical needs that require 24 hour care. Most are without speech and lack the ability to move around independently. Jo says that, “These disabilities and communication difficulties have not hindered us getting to know each other and it has been a joy and a privilege to do so.”

The over-riding aim of the exhibition is to challenge any preconceptions that may exist towards people with profound disability and to convey the positive and inspiring facets of each individual personality.

The portraits have been painted with the full permission and support of the residents’ families and the care home managers.

Charterhouse is hosting this exhibition as part of its social responsibility programme. Ben Nicholls, Director of Social Responsibility at the School, said, "We firmly believe that as well as having things which we can hopefully share with others, we can also learn a great deal from the world around us, especially from other schools and charities. Jo's wonderful paintings, as well as stimulating and moving those who view them, are providing a bridge between Charterhouse and High Hurlands which we look forward to strengthening over coming months. The more residents, artists, teachers and pupils who cross that bridge, the better for both institutions, and for all of us as we build a stronger society and community."

'Lack of Talent' took place on Thursday 29 September. Ollie Geffen (Year 13) created and directed the show, along with many enthusiastic collaborators. The total ticket sales raised will go to Cancer Research UK. Review by Andres Sena (Year 13):

This year’s 'Lack of Talent' musical performances have been some of the best in recent memory. The Year 13 band of Louis Moira, Peter Adamson, Ben Gardner, Michael Gimson, Jacob Partington and Darius Moore started the show with a beautifully haunting rendition of ‘Comfortably Numb’ by Pink Floyd. The night moved on to a cover of Frank Ocean’s ‘Pink and White’ which was sung passionately by Abi Rutherford with help from Jack Wild, Jai Chopra and Tim Lam who impressed the audience by arranging strings into a modern song. Will Ellis then sent the crowd swooning with his heartfelt solo performance of ‘The Scientist’ by Coldplay. The next performance by Bella Hill, Qais Al Zubair and Ben Gardner was very well received and Qais’ drumming stood out particularly. A jolt of adrenaline hit the crowd with Ayo Oshin’s rap, which had everybody on their feet rapping along. Peter Adamson reminded us of his Jazz background with ‘Water Under Bridges’ by Gregory Porter, which showed the more traditional side of Charterhouse music. The first act was closed with Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ ‘Californication’ which Jacob Partington sang beautifully with help from Tristan Matthews and a returning Louis Moira. Darius Moore’s guitar solo left the crowd in awe.

To start off the second act, Dascha Nefedova flexed her lungs with a Jennifer Hudson-esque performance of ‘Love on the Brain’ by Rihanna, supported by Darius. Next up, a performance of Phil Collins’ ‘In the Air Tonight’ was performed by Peter Adamson and an undercover Tristan Matthews who blew everyone out of their socks with his drumming. A brave cover of Royal Blood’s rock song ‘Little Monster’ by Ben Munden, Ben Gardner and Qais showed the different genres capable by the night’s wonderful musicians. Dascha Nefedova made an anticipated return with Peter Adamson with Amy Winehouse’s ‘Valerie’ and edged her claim on one of the most powerful voices of the night. To cap off the night, the whole cast came together to send the audience off with Madcon’s ‘Beggin’ in which every cast member had their chance to shine. In all, it was a night of amazing music, spot-on impersonations and top-notch bottle-flipping. 

A final line for the unsung heroes of the night; to the tireless backstage crew, led by Drama Technician Greg Russell, to the music organisers - Tristan Matthews, Peter Adamson and Darius Moore and finally to the writer of a cracking Brooke Hall script, Oliver Geffen.

Photographs top to bottom: Ayo Oshin (W) performing his original rap 

Thursday 1 December and Friday 2 December at 8.00 pm

Friends and visitors are warmly welcome to The Memorial Chapel, Charterhouse, Godalming for an enchanting evening of candle-lit carols sung by the School’s Chamber Choir.

This festive occasion is an atmospheric performance of carols including Jingle Bells, Ding Dong Merrily on High and Away in a Manger, as well as some lesser known carols. The music is interspersed with characterful readings to celebrate Advent and Christmas.

The event, which lasts about 45 minutes, will be conducted by the School’s Director of Music, Mark Shepherd. Choral singing is outstanding at Charterhouse.

Come and hear for yourself!

Admission is free with a collection for the charities, Amnesty International and Godalming Old People Welfare Association.

The Pre-U Art pupils spent five days during Exeat (15 to 20 October) in Los Angeles visiting the Getty Centre, Los Angeles County museum of Art, the Broad and the Museum of Contemporary Art. The pupils and teachers also took the opportunity to sketch and capture the amazing changes in light as well as observe the cinematic and literary connections within an often shifting post-modern media landscape. The pupils went armed with the titles: Facade, Hyper-real, Superficial, Polarities, Decadence, Escapism, Dystopia, Illusion, Paradise, Staged, Glamour, Noir, Light and Dark, Aspiration and Dream.