Redmaids' student Esther performs music and poetry for residents

Esther is a 12 year old student from Redmaids' High School. Part of her Bat Mitzvah, a ritual Jewish coming of age ceremony, involves completing a project which incorporates the Jewish idea of tzedakah, or acts of charity. Esther intends to record a video each month of her performing music and reading poems for our residents to enjoy.

She is an incredibly talented young woman and we are sure you will thoroughly enjoy her videos, which we will share with you below.

For Esther's final video, she plays a poignant rendition of Auld Lang Syne on the violin whilst sharing some wonderful photos of her Bat Mitzvah celebrations that were held in November. She follows this with two poems; a well known Irish blessing, A Prayer For Travellers by Anon and A Parting Song by Kei Miller.

We'd like to take this time to say a huge congratulations and thank you to Esther for her dedication over the past year. Her bat mitzvah marks a huge accomplishment—but it’s only the beginning of all a young woman like Esther is going to achieve.

For October, Esther begins her Autumn themed video with an apt reading of the poem Leaves by Ted Hughes, followed by a performance of a version of Somewhere Over The Rainbow from a collection called Jazz & Autumn. She finishes off with a beautiful reading of W.B. Yeats poem He Wishes For The Cloth of Heaven.

For September, Esther performs a reading of To Autumn by John Keats, followed by The first movement of Sonata by Handel on violin. She finishes off with the poem Instructions by Neil Gaiman.

For August, we have received a wonderful recital of the haunting poem by Percy Shelly, Ozymandias, followed by Hours by Carol Ann Duffy and a piano performance of Lavender Field by Karen Tanaka.

For July, Esther beautifully plays Minuet by Motzart and reads a poem by Sylvia Plath titled Mushrooms.

For June, Esther recites Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein, followed by a performance of Salut D'amour by Elgar on the violin and a reading of a poem about emerging from lockdown - Cocoon by Simon Armitage.

For May, Esther plays Carl Bohm's Introduction and Polonaise on the violin, followed by emotional recitals of Prayer by Carol Ann Duffy and The Orange by Wendy Cope.

In April's video, Esther recites The Moment by Margaret Atwood, and the opening to Under Milk Wood, a play by Dylan Thomas. She finishes off with a wonderful piano performance of a Mazurka by Chopin.

A recital and poems for our residents from Esther at Redmaids' High School (3) from Naomi Stone on Vimeo.

For March, Esther kindly shares with us some spring inspired pieces, beginning with the poem 'To a Snowdrop' byWilliam Wordsworth, followed by a beautiful piano piece called 'Allegro' by G.B Pescetti, and finishing off with a poem by Roger McGough titled 'The Midnight Skaters'.

Esther's video for February includes readings of the poems 'A Hymn to the Evening' by Phillis Wheatley and 'Explained' by A. A. Milne, as well as a beautiful violin recital of 'Schindler's List' by John Williams.

In January's video, Esther plays Gigue by Veracini on the violin and recites two poems; 'Life' by Charlotte Bronte and 'The Thought Fox' by Ted Hughes.