House Music 2025

What a night to remember! From the opening note to the final applause, House Music 2025 truly showcased the remarkable talent, dedication, and spirit of our students and staff. Head of Music, Mr Chris O’Leary, looks back on a celebration of music-making at its finest:

This year, on Friday 19th September, we had the pleasure of welcoming a packed audience of staff, parents, pupils, and supporters to the Courage Hall for our annual House Music Competition. The event was a true celebration of what makes being a pupil at Brentwood so special: an evening of music that brought the whole school community together that was written, arranged, rehearsed, directed, and conducted in its entirety by our students. Led by an incredibly talented group of House Music Captains, students from all of our Houses spent just 10 working days learning their Unison, Ensemble, and Partsong repertoire, each vying for the top spot across the categories and the opportunity of taking home the coveted House Music Trophy for 2025.

As is tradition, the evening began with what could only be described as a masterpiece in this year’s Spoof Video – House Music 2025: Cooper Strikes Back; an inspired retelling of the Star Wars saga told through the lens of students, the Music Department, House Staff team, and the Headmaster facing triumph, tragedy, and redemption in order to save one of the crowning achievements of Brentwood’s annual calendar of events. While the Oscars will speak for themselves, it is safe to say that all those involved truly outdid themselves in their performances, none more so than Mr Whannell for his inspired editing and truly encyclopedic knowledge of George Lucas’ beloved franchise.

Following this, the competitors were introduced to the man they had to impress in order to rise up through the scoreboard. As one of the top conductors, composers, arrangers, producers, and musical directors working in the UK today, Ben Parry brought a wealth of knowledge and experience in his adjudication throughout the evening. Many of our students already knew him from his groundbreaking work during his tenure as Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the National Youth Choir, and his remarks were the perfect addition to a truly celebratory evening in their insight, concision, and consideration. I for one was truly grateful to not only be excused from making the tough calls myself but to have such an accomplished musician do so instead!

The competition then began in earnest with the Partsong category, in which a chamber choir from each pair of Houses had to perform their own take on an arrangement of Dougie MacLean’s timeless ballad Caledonia. Whether it was moments of exquisite solo singing, captivating blend across voices, or innovative reimaginings of the music before them, those involved went above and beyond to bring this song to life with their own personal spin. Although there could only be one winner – which in this case was Hampden and West’s sensitive, jazz-infused rendition led by Osi B. – perhaps the most remarkable aspect was the sheer number of students who took to the stage to sing with their Houses; a record-breaking achievement for the School and one that assures me that the future of singing and choral music at the School is in safe hands!

Next up was the Ensemble category: a portion of the evening which not only highlighted the talents of Brentwood’s many instrumentalists but also our young composers and arrangers, all of whom put countless hours into writing (and rewriting) bespoke arrangements for the musicians at their disposal. We were treated to the greatest hits of 1960s Motown and ABBA, as well as themes from our screens such as The Hunger Games and Formula 1, but in the end it was East and School and their virtuosic Coldplay Medley – arranged and directed by Laura B. and Annie C. – that took the top spot in this round.

Last – but certainly not least – was our Unison category, which saw hundreds of our students and the entirety of the 2025/26 Year 7 cohort take to the stage in one final bid to score points and bring the house down in a performance of a pop song of their choosing. Despite very impressive performances of hits by One Direction, Bruno Mars, the Jackson 5, and even more ABBA, it was East and School once again who came out on top, scoring a perfect 20/20 for their electric performance of Shut Up and Dance by WALK THE MOON, led by a directorial dream team of Chloe B., Wren T., Kateryna S., and Mariia E. Again, although one House pairing could emerge victorious, all those involved went above and beyond in their singing, dancing, choreography, and inspired use of props as they brought the number of performers on the night to well over 600!

Following a wonderful performance of Let Your Voice Be Found by the entirety of Year 7 – led by Mr Ashman-Jones and assisted by a stellar band of students – the tallying of the final scores resulted in a Brentwood first for School House as they took the top spot in partnership with their East House colleagues!

House Music 2025: Results
Overall winner: East and School

Partsong Category
Winner: Hampden & West
Led by Osi B.

Ensemble Category
Winner: East and School
Led by Laura B. and Annie C.

Unison Category
Winner: East and School
Led by Chloe B., Wren T., Kateryna S., and Mariia E

Prize for Musical Direction
Winner: Osi B. (Hampden and West)
Special mention: Annie C. (East and School)

Prize for Musical Arrangement
Winner: Anna R. (Thorndon and Merrymeade)
Special mention: Felicity B-Q. (Hartswood & South)

Instrumentalist Prize
Winner: Juliette T. (Weald and North)
Special mention: Max W. (Weald and North)

Although the evening concluded with too many ‘thanks yous’ to repeat here, I would like to take the opportunity to echo a few and express my sincere gratitude to those who made the evening both possible and such as success. Without the likes of Mrs Chapman and the entire House Staff Team, Mrs Pope and the Porters, Mrs Owen and Miss Broom, Mr Herson, Mr Whannell, Mr Hourihan (OB) and Mr Walker (OB), the night would not have had the student participation, organisation, realisation, and tech wizardry that it did. Furthermore – while I am still not entirely sure how to top this year’s spoof video – I am especially grateful to the entire Music Department for their coordination, coaching, assistance, and administration of the event’s musical aspects and their good humour throughout the entire process… and of course our fabulous compères James F. and Maggie S. for the ease and excellence with which they steered the proceedings on the night.

All of that being said, those listed above were simply there to facilitate the phenomenal endeavours and achievements of our students – from Year 7 and new students to those who were participating in their last House Music at Brentwood – all of whom were led with kindness, clarity, and distinction in the form of our House Music Captains. As their testimonials show, it was an evening that they will treasure for years to come and I for one will always be grateful for the lengths they went to in ensuring that the same would be the case for those under their leadership.

Finally, to all those who attended live, tuned in on the live-stream, or supported ‘behind the scenes’ as our students practiced and prepared both at school and at home, you have my sincere thanks for helping to bring House Music to life. I hope to see many of you in the future at one of our many Performing Arts’ events, but until then…

Bring on next year!

“House Music is perhaps one of the most memorable school events I’ve been a part of. As someone who loves to be involved in every aspect of Performing Arts, I can confidently say that this event is the epitome of why we do music here at Brentwood. The sense of community, friendly competition, and outstanding level of musicianship is something that I will never forget!”

Anna R, House Music Captain