David White Memorial Concert

This year's David White Memorial Concert was given by Wells Virtuosi, a string ensemble made up of the leading string pupils from the specialist music school Wells Cathedral School.  In addition, two of the string ensembles (Stradivarius and Guarneri) from St John’s performed alongside our visitors in a movement from Holst’s St Paul’s Suite. £85 was raised for the Aplastic Anaemia Trust.

Director of Music, Mr Simon Kirk, commented, “It was an outstanding and hugely memorable evening concert with works by Holst (including St John’s pupils), Finzi and Dvorak. Wells Virtuosi, made up of 28 of the leading string players (aged 14 - 17) from the specialist music school Wells Cathedral School, demonstrated supreme commitment, confidence and generosity, as well as virtuosity, in their playing under the artistic direction of Matthew Souter, Head of Strings at Wells.”

David, who was a pupil at St John’s College School, died tragically of aplastic anaemia on the very day in 1990 that he was due to commence at Oakham School as a Music Scholar. Since then, we have held concerts in David’s memory, often giving a platform to talented young musicians at the advent of their careers, at other times bringing together musicians from our own community.

Donations raised at the collection were in aid of the Aplastic Anaemia Trust, which is based at St George's Hospital in London.

If you would like to hear Wells Virtuosi in action and find out a little more about Wells Cathedral School, please follow the links:

Performance of Barber’s Adagio
A View From Within” - a short documentary of a student’s perspective of Wells