On 5th December 2023 a Sixth Form enrichment trip took place in central London. First we walked around Leicester Square, Piccadilly Circus and Chinatown before heading to St. Martin-in-the-Fields for a special attendance for St. Anne’s students at the rehearsal for The Sixteen of Handel’s Messiah. We sat right at the front of the church and were ‘blasted’ with the stunning sound of the soloists, choir and orchestra. After an hour, the musicians showed the St Anne’s students their musical instruments and explained more about the work of The Sixteen.
Some of the comments of our students were: “I felt so emotional that I kept wanting to cry”; “I had no idea you could make such sounds with your voice”; “When the soloists first started singing, I was shocked”; “I feel like a changed person”.
After that we went to the National Gallery to look at three pictures in particular, as well as take a general walk around. We focused on Leonardo da Vinci’s Virgin of the Rocks and the Burlington House Cartoon, and Gallen-Kallela’s Lake Keitele. One student stated, “I enjoyed looking at all the detail in the paintings as it was a reminder of how authentic and valuable the artworks were. I felt calm whilst I was looking at all the artwork.”
Finally, we walked across Trafalgar Square again towards Covent Garden where we enjoyed the festive atmosphere: the tree, walking into the Royal Opera house and looking at the spectacular view from the top of it, which made the students feel excited about Christmas.
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