Phil Beverley, Director of Music

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Across two venues this week Performance Plus took centre stage with a follow up on the wonderful work Dr Liz Scott did earlier in the term on the practice of intonation. A special thanks to Martyn Hentschel and Christopher Hayles for continuing to provide and support our instrumentalists and vocalists in being the best they can be. I would encourage every music student to pencil in the keynote and masterclass dates as well as ensure they have signed up to Spring Festival Solo performance for term 3. We have just cracked 200 enrolments which is simply outstanding. I very much look forward to this evening which combines our Oslo Music Performances with the Visual Arts Exhibition.

On Thursday 5 June the Orchestra Room set the stage for some of the most incredible performances I have heard in my time at Cranbrook. Congratulations to the following students for a sensational night of Music:

Elliott Lindley, Ian Wu, Rupert Rust, Huon Groves, Thomas Boyd, Ollie Smith, Matthew Lee, David Tabachnik, George McIntosh, Henry Moore, Liam Crowe, Ashton Corbett, Cameron Lu, Ben Pelly, Julian Baggett, Dash Bouvier, Marcus Chun, Fergus Jones, Kevin Chu, Wesley Woodhouse Alexander Benz.

The repertoire renaged from Billy Joel to Hindemith and each performance showed sophisticated nuance and command of the stage. These students are building capacity through their involvement and backing it up with morning rehearsal the next day as well as commitments to Cross Country and other Cocurricular activities.

They also dedicate time and commit to the broader ensemble programme each week. It is through this programme that we are able to pull the threads to together and join as a community once again at the Town Hall. Tickets are selling fast, and I would encourage you jump online to purchase your tickets. Donations can also be made to the Music and Drama Committee (MAD). These donations go towards funding major projects and collaborations with industry professionals across the performing arts which benefit all students in our programme.

Finally, a big thank you to Chelsea Slender, David Russell and Andrew Benson, for running our first round of auditions for this year’s production of Little Shop Of Horrors. We have had over 100 students audition and call backs will have been received. Congratulations to all these students who put in the work to prepare for this opportunity.

Next week we are hosting the Junior School Soirèe 6pm – 7:30 pm in the Memorial Chapel. NO RSVP required and all are welcome to attend.

Warm regards,

Phil Beverley
Director of Music