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Pupil-Led EPQ Concert Showcases Independent Research and Performance
A special concert took place at the College on Holocaust Memorial Day, Tuesday 27 January, created as part of a Lower Sixth Extended Project Qualification (EPQ). The event was conceived, researched and produced by Isaac H, who worked with fellow musicians to present a performance informed by his academic study into how music can help us understand and remember challenging moments in history.
The concert supported the 2026 Holocaust Memorial Day theme, Bridging Generations, which encourages young people to reflect on the past and contribute to ongoing remembrance through thoughtful engagement. Isaac’s project aimed to connect his research with a contemporary audience, demonstrating how music can act as a bridge between different times, experiences and communities.
The programme featured a range of carefully selected and rarely performed works, as well as new arrangements prepared for the event. Performances included an array of ensembles; voice, string quartet, clarinet trio, accordion, cello, and mixed instrumental groups, highlighting the diversity of musical expression that forms part of Isaac’s study.
The concert was the culmination of six months of independent EPQ research and practical preparation. Isaac took responsibility for every aspect of the event: sourcing and studying historical material, coordinating performers, managing rehearsals, planning the programme, and promoting the concert. His research included consultation with musicologists, historians, publishers and archival organisations, giving him valuable insights into professional research practice.
Reflecting on his work, Isaac said:
“As a musician and historian, I have for some time been interested in the music that was made under the atrocious conditions within the concentration camps of WWII. My EPQ project has been an exciting journey so far involving sourcing music from archives in Italy and the Czech Republic and a visit to the Terezín Memorial outside Prague where I was given permission to film some contextual narratives for the concert in a former ghetto. I have developed many skills during this project which have included programming a concert, script writing and coordinating the rehearsals of 21 pieces and 16 musicians.”
Mr Alex Mason, Director of Music, added:
“This concert brought together music composed and performed in the concentration camps during the Holocaust. With some truly evocative and historically significant works that are seldom heard today, it was an extremely moving evening.”