Phil Beverley, Director of Music
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Term 3 is the time when we focus on celebrating the individual, with HSC Composition Showcases, Performance Showcases, and of course, our Spring Festival.
Transforming the Notes into Sound, this year’s Year 12 students have produced compositions in styles ranging from ‘Electro Music’ to ‘Mahleresque’ symphonic works and everything in between. On 26 August, we celebrated these in a special premiere performance of each student’s work. Alex Pozniak continues to inspire and impart his compositional knowledge so that each student can find their creative voice as composers of new music. The process of recording and performing these works is a hugely important moment for each student and is made possible by the amazing work of our peripatetic staff, who bring the notes on the page to life.
Taking the Stage One Last Time
On Monday night, our Year 12 students took to the stage one last time before they sit (or, in the case of IB, submit) their final performance examinations. Our Student Head of Music, Wesley Woodhouse, beautifully described his journey to the audience, highlighting how students work hard over many years, often preparing pieces chosen for them, so that in Year 12, they can choose what suits them best and form meaningful connections with the music they love.
Spring Festival Success
Thank you for the tremendous support shown by staff, students, and parents for the Performing Arts last week. On Thursday, the Junior School Spring Festival Music Eisteddfod saw over 100 students perform with tremendous confidence in front of supportive parents, peers, and staff. This marks the beginning of a wonderful musical journey for many of our youngest musicians, and we are thrilled to see this enthusiasm carry into the Senior School the following week at the Senior School Spring Festival Solo and Instrumental Competition.
Congratulations to our winners of the Year 3 to 6 Junior School Eisteddfod 2024:
Piano
Year 3-4: Kai Jindrich & Alfie Li-Brown
Year 5-6: Kyran Diec & Lucas Zhao
Voice
Year 3-6: Aidan Pyne & Balthazar Roche
Strings
Year 3: Ryan Shi
Year 4: Kai Jindrich
Year 5-6: Alexander Pontifix & Mason Pun
Guitar
Year 3-4: Liam Cai
Year 5-6: Xavier Lee
Woodwind
Year 3-4: Liam Esplin
Year 5-6: George Fyfe
Brass
Year 3-4: Luca Serafini
Year 5-6: Harry Dickson
Percussion
Year 3-6: Sacha Alexander
The next day, at our Senior School campus, we held over 200 solo performances across eight venues. I am hugely grateful for the collaborative spirit that allowed us to showcase the talent of our students on such a large scale. Each space had a special ambiance, supporting the students on their particular instruments. Notably, in the Governor’s Ballroom, our young vocalists utilised the amazing natural acoustics while being surrounded by the creative expressions of IB and HSC visual artworks. Special mention goes to our youngest performers in Year 7—over 40 students—who returned on the first bus back on the final day of CITF to perform in the second session that same afternoon. This event has become a significant highlight in the school calendar and captures a wonderful aspect of school life and community.
This year, we’ve all spent time reflecting on the culture we are building together. The Spring Festival affirms that Cranbrook is a place where every child can find their place. This was evident as students moved from venue to venue, showing genuine support for their friends. This support was not by instruction, but because they wanted ‘to be’ there, choosing ‘to be’ present and show authentic interest in the hard work their peers put into preparing for this event. It is this spirit of community and support that we wanted to emphasise. I am pleased to announce the Adjudicators Awards and Finalists for this year’s Spring Festival. Please click here to view the results.
Our Finals concert will be held in the Orchestra Room on 18 September, in Week 9 of this term. I look forward to welcoming you to this final event of the term.
A special Opera House performance
This week, several of our choristers will join the Sydney Children’s Choir for performances with one of Australia’s greatest homegrown bands, The Cat Empire, led by Felix Reibl. This opportunity to perform at the Opera House will be a definite highlight.
Good Luck Year 12
I’d like to finish by wishing our Year 12 students every success as they embark on their HSC Performance Examinations. On behalf of the Music team, we thank them for the amazing contributions they have made through music and the positive impact this has had on all of us as a community.
Warm Regards,
Phil Beverley
Director of Music