Magherafelt High School played host to its annual Music and Drama Evening and once again the students (and teachers) put on a show to remember.

The choir, along with the drama society provided anchors for the evening's entertainment and proved that anything is possible with hard-work and dedication. Both groups wowed the audience time and time again with their performance over the course of the night.

The evening opened with the school choir performing a soaring rendition of "Goin to Bethlehem", followed by a blistering performance by vocalist and Upper Sixth student Laura Gilmour who sang "Once in Royal David's City".

The first of the musician soloists took to the stage in the form of A-Level music student Glenn Henry, who treated the audience with his performance on piano of Ludovico Einaudi's "Netfeli". Indeed the Henry family were well represented on stage on the evening with younger sister, Grace, performing an enchanting version of "Buskin" on the Violin. Clearly music runs in the veins of the Henry family and with the youngest of family at the school (Bethany) starting to display her musical prowess, the Henry lineage in Music is set to continue over the next number of years.

In the first drama performance of the night, the Drama Society's quirky version of the X-factor aptly named "The Christmas factor", the audience were clearly entertained with some standout characters. Judging by the talent, it is clear that some of these students could be set for an even bigger stage one day, particularly Oisin Chambers (Year 9) who had the audience in stitches with his portrayal of X-Factor judge Louis Walsh. Not to be outdone, Lee Kirkpatrick (Year 9) also managed to get the crowd going with his Elf improvisations.

It was left to wannabe rock idol Natan Morrow (Upper Sixth) to seranade the audience with a melancholy version of Glenn Miller's "Moonlight" on his Bass guitar. Nathan also provided support in the band on the evening ably-assisted by Jordan Evans (Year 10) and co.

Diane Overend (year 12) also proved an instant hit with the audience with her satirical impression of a local farmer in the Drama society "A Shepherd's Story". Not since Jimmy Cricket has anyone looked more comfortable in a pair of 'welly' boots!

Upper Sixth music student, Rebekah Bell gave an uplifting performance of "Let this Christmas Be" before the choir brough first part of the evening's entertainment to a close with an inspiring version of "Good News".

The second half of the show was opened in style with Jonathan Peeples (year 11) turning up the volume with his bagpipe medley. It wasn't long before the audience were tapping their feet and clapping, joining in as with all good traditional Ulster-Scots music.

Suzanne Montgomery (vocalist), Rachel Michael (clarinet) and Judith Johnson all demonstrated remarkable ability and poise in faultless performances. It was a real pleasure to see students perform to a such a high standard yet show no nerves performing in front of such a large audience.

The Dance society also chipped in a very poignant interpretation of the problems division can cause in society but the surprise performance of the night came from the singing teacher quartet of Miss McCracken, Mr Fleming, Miss Stewart and Mr Glenn. The teachers sang "Still a Bach Christmas" and are now actively seeking gigs in the greater Magherafelt area. Speculation was rife on the night that the "The Teachers" were considering releasing an album in time for Christmas no. 1. Watch this space!

The choir brought the evening to a close with another double-serving, this time with a more festive slant- "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!" and "Jingle Bell Rock". Mr McCluskey praised and thanked the staff and students for what was arguably the best "Music and Drama evening" of recent times.

Credit and huge appreciation must again go to the creative masterminds behind the show- Miss Stewart and Mrs Martin, for their time, effort and indeed their perfectionism! Performances like this don't just happen and the standard of the entertainment was testament to their hard-work and passion for their respective subjects. We can now look forward to an even better show next year!

10th December 2009