Philharmonic Hall is venue for 25th St. Mary’s College Festival of Music!

9 Apr 2025

Liverpool’s famous Philharmonic Hall was the venue for a spectacular showcase of the musical skills of students at St. Mary’s recently. 

More than 250 talented young performers from St. Mary’s College and its Preparatory School took to the concert hall’s famous stage to present the school’s 25th annual Festival of Music.

The evening featured a wide range of musical ensembles including St. Mary’s award-winning Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Wind Band, Stage Band, Chamber Choir, Lower School Choir and Preparatory School Choir.

They were conducted by St. Mary’s Director of Music, Andrew Byers, supported by his colleagues Colin Johnston and Joanne Booth.

The programme featured an eclectic repertoire which took the audience on a musical journey from classical composers to blues legend John Lee Hooker and the Beatles, with many entertaining stops in between.

Well-received performances included the College Symphony Orchestra’s take on the Thunder and Lightning Polka by Johan Strauss, which brought the first half to an end, and the Chamber Choir’s Les Misérables medley, which captured all the emotion of the musical masterpiece.

Other highlights included Waltz of the Flowers and Romeo & Juliet by Tchaikovsky (Symphony Orchestra), John Rutter’s Requiem and – back by popular demand – a spectacular choral arrangement of Toto’s Africa by Roger Emerson (Chamber Choir).

Soloists during the evening included trumpeter Sebastian Handley, aged 17 from Hightown, and cellist Luke Pomeroy, aged 17 from Blundellsands, who performed Gabriel Fauré’s hauntingly beautiful Elégie accompanied by Ron Abramski, a celebrated concert pianist and teacher at the prestigious Yehudi Menuhin School.

Speaking about the concert, Director of Music Andrew Byers said: “This has been a milestone year for us – the 25th time we have presented our Festival of Music in the wonderful Philharmonic Hall setting.

“I am delighted to say that once again our performers rose to the challenge and maintained the exceptional standards set by their predecessors.

“The musical skills they displayed reflect the huge amount of effort they put into preparing for the concert, and they thoroughly deserved the generous applause they received at the end of the evening,” added Mr Byers.

St. Mary’s Principal Mike Kennedy commented: “Music is a key element of life at St. Mary’s and our belief is that it is a wonderful vehicle for developing students beyond the purely academic, and shaping their characters and personalities in new and often surprising ways.

“Against this background, the concert was the result of many months of hard work and dedication by our pupils, and I would like to pay tribute to the musical skills of everyone involved.”

For more photographs of the Phil concert please see the dedicated photo album on our Facebook page.