St John’s College School Pupil Enjoys Success!

Blake Chen, a Year 8 pupil at St John’s College School in Cambridge, has been very busy in recent weeks.

He took part in a piano masterclass with Peter Donohoe in January, and two months later gave a lunchtime recital at school, performing Beethoven’s F major Sonata, Op. 10, no. 2 and Ravel’s Sonatine. As Simon Kirk, the school’s Director of Music says: “His performances were characterised by a technical mastery and an emotional maturity beyond his years.”

Later in the same month, performing the Beethoven, Ravel and a Chopin miniature, Blake sat the ABRSM diploma exam and was rewarded with a distinction.

Tonight (30 April), Blake will give an organ recital in the highly prestigious pre-Sunday Evensong recital series in the St John’s College Chapel, performing works by J S Bach (In dir ist Freude, O Mensch bewein and the first movement of the Eb Trio Sonata), Lennox Berkeley (Impromptu) and Sir Edward Elgar (Vesper Voluntary no. IV and Imperial March). We hope you have a wonderful evening, Blake!