House Music

The Mill Hill School biennial House Music Prize was contested this week. Each of the 10 Houses performed over Monday and Tuesday in the preliminary round to adjudicator, OM Owen Bubbers (Collinson 2004), to a packed out Large. The Houses were required to present a 20 minute programme consisting of a solo item, a small ensemble performance, a School hymn and a massed (whole House) item. For the last month, many parts of the School have been ringing with the sound of pupils rehearsing and the hard work was evident in the astonishingly high standard of music making from every house.

Owen Bubbers, having listened to all ten Houses, was asked to select four houses to compete in the final on the Thursday night, and also pick the winners of the Best Solo Prize – (Ben Brown – Cedars), Best Ensemble Prize (McClure), Best Hymn (Ridgeway) and Best Massed Item (Ridgeway).

The final was adjudicated by the internationally renowned baritone Samuel Evans, who had previously adjudicated for the Farrow Prize Final in 2013. The standard of performance and presentation was raised to an even higher level for the final and Samuel, having explained his criteria for the best performance chose McClure House as winners. During a short interlude before the announcement of the prize winners Mr Brink and Mr Kyle led the audience of parents, pupils and guests in a three part arrangement of When the Saints Go Marching In, Swing Low Sweet Chariot and She’ll Be Coming Round The Mountain.