The For M is Musick concert, in March, showcased the very best of music and music partnership, not just from Westminster School, but also from musicians — young and old — from across the City of Westminster.

The show at Barbican’s main hall opened with Dvořák’s Violin Concerto, performed with stunning musicality and technical proficiency by Remove pupil Rhys (MM), the School’s Music Captain and member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and backed by the Westminster School Symphony Orchestra.

The stage then filled with more than 200 young singers from Westminster School, Westminster Under School, Burdett Coutts CofE Primary School, Harris Westminster Sixth Form, Pimlico Academy, The Grey Coat Hospital, Westminster City School, and young members of the Pimlico Musical Foundation, all organisations within the Tri-borough Music Hub, for Britten’s ever popular festival cantata, Rejoice in the Lamb.

Ending the concert, the 170-strong Westminster Choral Society, whose members include parents, staff, governors and former pupils of the School, joined the Choir of Westminster School for Duruflé’s post-War choral masterpiece, Requiem.

The concert was the School’s tenth visit to the Barbican since 2011. In 2020, Westminster School and a good number of partner schools were just one day away from performing in the prestigious hall when London went into lockdown, so this year’s concert took on an even greater significance and real sense of celebration.

Not only was the concert a huge triumph for the wide-ranging musical partnership work of the school, and a showcase for the long-standing relationship Westminster has with all the schools and organisations involved, but it was also able to raise much needed funds for Nucleo, a ‘music for social action’ project which offers free music-making opportunities to nearly 400 young people within London, operating an instrument donation bank, and running a young leaders programme with the aim of building a musical community that can create music for social change.

After the concert, Westminster’s Director of Music and Trustee of the Tri-borough Music Trust, Tim Garrard said: “It was terrifically exciting to perform such thrilling music with so many musicians on the Barbican stage. All the schools involved in the Britten performance have developed a strong musical bond over quite a few years now, and it has been great fun coming together to rehearse Rejoice in the Lamb. The concert was the icing on the cake, for certain, but we’ve all had a great deal of fun all term.”

In the audience was Westminster Head Master, Dr Gary Savage: “It was a pleasure and a privilege to be at this year’s Barbican concert. It was notable not only for the quality of the music, but also for the range of participants from our partner schools, and from across the generations. It was collective music-making at its very best, and everything that a school community should be all about: fellowship, warmth wonder. Bravo, all!”

Derek Carden, Music Teacher at Burdett Coutts School, added: “Congratulations on a stupendous concert. Thank you so much for inviting us. As we both know the lasting memories of events such as these are so important in our children’s development, self discipline and self esteem. So, a brilliant opportunity for us provided by you. We are very grateful.”