The Ode Opens in a Celebration of Music and Community

The new music centre, The Ode at Truro School, officially opened on Friday night with an exhilarating, moving, and awe-inspiring event.

Moving away from the traditional, formal sit-down concert, the evening celebrated music and community, bringing Truro School pupils together with Cornwall Music Service Trust (CMST) musicians from schools and communities across the county.

Guests were split into two experiences, the Promenade and the Archive. The Promenade was a chance to explore the centre, with a guided walk around the classrooms and impressive rehearsal and recording spaces, from rooms large enough for orchestral rehearsals to an insulated ‘rock room’ and digital recording studios.

During the Promenade, guests were treated to performances from our talented Truro School musicians, including voice, piano, percussion and string, from modern and contemporary to classical and choral, showing the strength and breadth of music at Truro School.

Meanwhile, Archive guests were welcomed into the awe-inspiring Assembly Hall and encouraged to mingle around archive displays that brought the history of music at Truro School to life.

They were entertained by an incredible film made by Year 8 pupils Dulcie and Issey, which told the story of The Ode and of music at Truro School today. This was beautifully accompanied by the 50 strong Superstrings ensemble, whose musicians, aged 8 to 16, exemplify the ambition, enthusiasm and enjoyment that music brings to young people across the region, and who played a set of songs to inspire and delight.

The Promenade led guests into the Assembly Hall for the grand finale, where the worlds of opera and electronic music blended into one as award-winning composer, artist and sound designer Tom Middleton (CO89) and acclaimed singer and opera performer Lynette Carveth (CO84) launched the pinnacle of the night: a remix of the school song blended with Pachelbel’s Canon in D, with an inspiring visual from Harry Morse. Truro School’s musicians and the Cathedral Choristers joined in for a moving and uplifting moment that moved many in the audience to tears.

The evening ended with an uplifting set from Truro School’s own DJs, supported by Tom Middleton, who has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the event together. A huge well done to DJs Rory, Woody, Aleem, Theodore and Etta.

More than 170 performers took part throughout the opening, representing over 10 schools from around Cornwall, performing alongside community groups, teachers and professional musicians. Addressing them all during the evening, Andy Johnson, Head of Truro School, said, “You are the music makers this evening everybody, and tomorrow and the day after and the day after that. Everybody who is in this room needs to be a dreamer of a dream, because this place is for you and it is for everybody in our county and for everyone beyond our county who can inspire a passion for music and the creative arts. This is what this is for. It is for everybody.”

Whilst it was an evening that officially opened The Ode, the true stars of the night were indeed the pupils and students, whether helping behind the scenes, creating inspiring content or filling our rooms, corridors and hall with incredible music. It was a true celebration of hundreds of hours of dedication, rehearsal and artistic development, supported by teachers, families and the wider community.

Lynette Carveth summed it up, saying that the event “left a lasting memory. To see all those young people joined together in one voice was inspiring and the composition and music were incredible. I can’t wait to see what the future brings for the music of Truro School and for Cornwall in general.”

A huge thank you must go to Brandy Doubleday for bringing the event together, to Director of Music Richard Osmond and his team, to everyone at CMST, to Tom, Lynette, Michele and Harry, and to all of the pupils, students, staff and volunteers who worked so hard to make it such a success. The full list of contributors can be found on The Ode Experience page.