Last Thursday on November 23, we were treated to performances from U5 pupils, Melissa Hawkings and Tristan McCardel in the final Making Musicians Recital of Michaelmas Term in Norwich Cathedral.

Mellisa Hawkings started the recital beautifully with her rendition of Adagio and Ellegro by Schumann, she performed with the enthusiasm and energy the piece required. She followed this by delighting the audience with Alla Caccia by Alan Abbot. Melissa started learning the French horn at the Norfolk Music Hub and has enjoyed taking part in performances and ensemble opportunities ever since. Through the Making Musicians scheme, Melissa has developed her performance skills and ensemble playing. On Saturdays, Melissa travels to Junior Guildhall in London where she plays in wind and brass quintets, Symphony Orchestra and Brass Band. This year, she won the brass category of House Music and is looking forward to performing in Norfolk Young Musicians. She has been offered a place in the National Youth Orchestra as an associate and is excited to take part in the winter residency.

Tristan McCardel finished the recital with his performance of Violin sonata no.1, 1st movement, Adagio by J.S Bach and the audience were completely captivated by the artistry of his playing. Tristan concluded the recital perfectly with 2 movements for Mendelssohn's Violin concerto in E minor. Tristan studies the violin with Christopher Hirons at the Royal College of Music Junior department, where he also studies Composition and Tuba. Tristan was previously a member of the National Children’s Orchestra, and is currently a member of the National Youth Orchestra, and is looking forward to playing with them at the Royal Albert Hall during the Proms next Summer. He particularly enjoys chamber music, and regularly attends Pro Corda residential courses, and is a member of the Norfolk County Youth Orchestra. Tristan was a chorister with the Norwich Cathedral choir, being head chorister during his final year, and is currently a Choral Scholar at St Peter Mancroft Church, where he also studies the organ with Julian Haggett.

Both pupils were incredibly grateful to be accompanied by the brilliant Brenda Blewitt on the piano. Until September 2019, Brenda was Head of Accompaniment at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester where she was part of the staff accompaniment team for 25 years. She is now based in Norfolk as a freelance accompanist and recitalist, specialising in working with talented young musicians.

She has a great love of Norway and Norwegian culture and has performed in many of Norway’s major festivals over the last 30 years collaborating with many Scandinavian musicians. In 2014, she spent a year as Head of Accompaniment at the Barratt Due Institute in Oslo and has also worked as a visiting accompanist at the Norwegian State Academy of Music. She is a regular resident accompanist at Valdres Sommersymfoni Festival and Summer School. She has made 3 CD recordings, all recorded on historical pianos from the collection at Finchcocks Museum. Her Simax recording of the Haydn trios for f lute, cello and piano was chosen as ‘Record of the Month’ by the German Music Journal “Alte Musik Aktuel’. Brenda read music at Oxford University – specialising in 19th century music – and then continued at the Royal College of Music in London, where she studied piano with David Parkhouse and accompaniment with Robert Sutherland and was awarded the Ellen Marie Curtis Prize for her interpretations of Haydn and Mozart.

The musical excellence showcased combined with the beautiful setting of the Norwich Cathedral made for an unforgettable Making Musicians Concert.