26 Mar 2025
More than 200 talented musicians – comprised of students, parents, staff and friends of St Albans School and St Albans High School for Girls – held their annual Choral Society concert in memory of a former music teacher.
The event at St Albans Cathedral, which has been running for 55 years, saw a choir of 150 and an orchestra of 55, and was dedicated to the memory of Mick Stout, former longstanding director of music at St Albans School, who passed away last year.
The concert itself marks an annual opportunity for students, parents, staff and the wider community of both St Albans School and St Albans High School to come together and sing major choral repertoire, accompanied by a semi-professional orchestra in the surroundings of St Albans Cathedral.
The programme, which was largely comprised of repertoire that Mick himself enjoyed, featured Brahms’ Song of Destiny, Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, Parry’s I Was Glad, concluding with the finale from Beethoven’s Symphony No.9 in D Minor, Op.125. Mick’s widow Emily sang as solo Soprano in her husband’s memory.
Tom Young, conductor of the concert and director of music at St Albans School said, “This year has been particularly poignant for our school community in celebrating and commemorating the life of Mick Stout; and that was evident in the number of staff, parents, students, alumnae and friends of Mick’s that came to pay their respects. It was a challenging programme, and I am delighted by the way the chorus, orchestra and in particular the students, rose to the occasion. We hope that the concert paid tribute to Mick’s humour, optimism and love of vocal music.”
Acting director of music at St Albans High School for Girls, Julian Smith, said: “The concert was the culmination of months of preparation. The musicians sang and played with poise and energy, navigating their way through Brahms and Parry before a final rousing rendition of Beethoven’s epic Symphony No.9. The concert was a fitting memorial to St Albans School director of music, Mick Stout.”
