West Road Concert Hall. Nestled at the side of the Sidgwick Site, this dull, modern building hardly screams premier concert venue. But within the bland exterior was CUPO (Cambridge University Pop Orchestra), and that meant there was a chance for something special. After running a string of concerts with rave reviews, particularly their sell-out Disney concerts in Trinity chapel, CUPO’s evening of Rodgers and Hammerstein had a lot to live up to.

Thankfully, disappointment was not on the cards. From the first note till the last, CUPO held the audience in the palm of their hand. Opening with ‘Oklahoma!’ was a rousing start, the brilliant interplay between the soloists and the swell of the orchestra brought it all to one of the most upbeat choruses in musical theatre: Oklahoma, Ok! I was particularly impressed by Kate Lowe’s beautiful voice, almost operatic in the power it brought to fill every single inch of the hall. David Lawrence was equally surprising, his unassuming form hiding a booming bass which he got to use again to great effect in the little known hit from State Fair, ‘People will say we’re in love.’

The sheer energy of ‘Oklahoma!’ was matched by further big musical hits. Helen Charlston delivered a soaring rendition of ‘You’ll never walk alone’, which apparently originates from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s second musical Carousel, and not from the minds of Liverpool Football Club. Who’d have thought it?

I was glad, however, that the high octane energy of these hits was matched by subtler pieces. Rihanna Frost delivered the bubbling classic 'Favourite Things' from Sound of Music, given an extra aesthetic quality by the viola section dressing up as the favourite things; special mention must go to Robert Pierce-Higgins for coming as the “wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings.” It was the inclusion of the Cinderella Waltz that really let the true stars of the evening shine: the orchestra. This orchestral piece provided a perfect contrast to the lyrical quality of the rest of the evening, allowing everyone from the violins, to the oboes, to the harpists to display the best of Cambridge musical ability.

It was the concluding classic of ‘Doe a deer’ that typifies why CUPO is now a Cambridge institution. The choir was finally (and justifiably) the centre of attention, but they proceeded to start bobbing up and down to the wise words of “me, a name, I call myself.” It was a perfectly light-hearted attitude to entertainment, and against the often high-brow Cambridge music scene, that it is a breath of fresh air. Overall, it was a fantastic night of entertainment that has been successful in leaving this poor reviewer in a futile search for more superlatives!