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The Queen's School, Chester, Cheshire

Queen's pays musical tribute to Amy

The Queen’s School, Chester, paid tribute to the memory of a past student at their annual Festival of Music on 24 February. A stunning new crystal trophy, presented in the name of Amy Underhill, was added to the selection of awards handed out for musical achievement.

Former pupil Amy died in a car accident during the summer of 2007 aged just 19. The teachers and pupils at Queen’s decided to mark her contribution to the school, particularly the music department, by dedicating a special award in her name at the festival.

Amy Underhill was a very promising pianist who competed in the festival for the seven years that she was a student at the senior school. Her name is inscribed repeatedly on the Piano Trophy, Piano Duet Trophy and the Anna Markland Trophy, which she won at the age of 14.

Mrs Jones, Head of Music and Deputy Head, remembered the talented girl. She said: “As a pupil, Amy was at the heart of every concert and musical production at Queen’s and her musicianship was always an inspiration to younger girls at the school. Although Amy was in her first year at Birmingham University reading music when she died, she will always be remembered as a much-loved Queen’s girl.”

For the special award the school purchased a rare and beautiful piece of Daum crystal artwork entitled “The Three Faces of Woman’ by the Georgian artist Tamara Kvesitadze. The first girl to receive the Amy Underhill Trophy, given for the outstanding performance of the festival, was sixteen year-old Sophie Rowland.

Year 11 student Sophie sang “Music for a while’ by Henry Purcell to win the special award. Her performance can be heard on The Queen’s School website, www.queens.cheshire.sch.uk, along with other prize-winning performances from the festival.

The 2008 festival saw over 130 girls compete in 15 classes and perform a wide variety of musical styles from drum kit improvisations to grand opera and string quartets to songs from the shows. The girls from years 7 to 13 excelled themselves to impress judges from Manchester and Leeds.

Adjudicator Claire Dunham said: “The standard of vocal, instrumental and ensemble performance was higher than ever this year but I was most impressed by the genuine support and encouragement shown by the girls to each other throughout the day.”

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Captions:

080319 Music Festival Class Winners – Class Winners 080319 Sophie Rowland – Sophie Rowland, age 16, the winner of the special award as mentioned in the text.

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Press Contact: Mrs Jane Taylor, The Queen’s School, City Walls Road, Chester, CH1 2NN Tel: 01244 312078 Fax: 01244 321507 Email: jtaylor@queens.cheshire.sch.uk

Notes:

The Queen’s School, Chester, Cheshire is one of the country’s leading independent schools offering the highest standard of education for girls from ages 4 – 18.

Since its foundation, The Queen’s School has always been a highly successful academic school. In the latest Government league tables published in January 2007, Queen’s was again ranked as the top school in Cheshire based on both GCSE and A/AS level results.

Academic success is only one aspect of life at Queen’s. The Queen’s School and its staff encourage all girls to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities; these include drama clubs, plays and musicals, cabaret evenings, choirs and orchestras, a variety of sports such as tennis, lacrosse, football, athletics and gymnastics as well as a science club, an equine club and the Friday club which involves girls helping in the community. There is also the chance to travel with the school on adventure holidays, foreign treks, scientific research expeditions, French and German exchanges and skiing trips.

Established by a group of prominent Chester citizens in 1878 as the Chester School for Girls, the school was renamed four years later by command of Queen Victoria and is proud to remain the only school in the country to have been granted the name The Queen’s School by royal decree. The school has a number of bursaries available to students. Mrs Catherine Buckley is the present headmistress of The Queen’s School. Mrs Felicity Taylor is head of the Lower School on Liverpool Road.

Past pupils include Beth Tweddle, Olympic Gymnast, Sarah Kelly founder of the UK’s Neuromuscular Centre for muscular dystrophy and Vivienne Faull, the first woman to become Dean of an English Cathedral.

More information available from http://www.queens.cheshire.sch.uk

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