IMP News
The past few weeks have been an incredibly busy time for the IMP.
On Friday 10 November, the IMP hosted musicians from St George Girls High School at the Fort. Our Wind Ensemble collaborated with St George band, while the Symphony Orchestra worked with their string ensemble. After only 1.5 hours of intensive rehearsals after school, the ensembles presented a concert to a very enthusiastic crowd. Each of the newly-formed orchestra and band numbered well over 100 students, and it was exciting to hear such great music, performed by such large ensembles, who’d prepared under pressure in a very short timeframe, utilising all of their Musical skills. We thank the music staff at St George Girls for their willingness to engage in a collaborative project, and look forward to more joint projects in the future.
On Tuesday 14 November, the Jazz Ensemble and Jazz Orchestra performed at Lazybones Lounge, a well-known jazz club in Marrickville. The groups were part of an initiative by the Tuesday Night Jazz Orchestra, who have a residency at Lazybones. The intention is to give school ensembles the chance to perform in a professional venue, supporting one of the best professional jazz orchestras in the Sydney music scene. The evening was a huge success, with tickets selling out early, and the enormous crowd supporting both the student acts and the professional musicians. The two ensembles from the IMP opened the evening, and performed brilliantly, before staying on to watch the pother great jazz playing taking place. Congratulations to the Fortians for their musicality, professionalism, and enthusiasm.
On Thursday 16 November, the IMP was very pleased to host the inaugural Choir For Life charity concert. Vocal Ensemble and Chamber Choir performed alongside Singers Re-Choired, a local community choir featuring many old Fortians, parents, and staff, and conducted by our choral director, Alex Pringle. This joyous event saw over 200 singers take the stage in the school hall. The real meaning of the word amateur; to do for he love of it, was clear to see on the face of every singer and every audience member. The combined efforts of Vocal Ensemble, Chamber Choir and Singers Re-Choired resulted in over $8,000 being raised for the ReachOut, and some very frank discussions about the importance of taking youth mental health seriously. This life-affirming event looks set to become an annual event!
On Saturday 18 November, the Concert Band and Training Band performed at the Stanmore Music Festival. This wonderful community-focussed music festival was the brainchild of the late Richard Gill, and it was so gratifying to see how much it was grown. The whole of Stanmore was shut down, and crowds enjoyed performances throughout the afternoon, across 10 different stages. A large audience of Fortians and community members alike enjoyed the IMP performances, and the students played extremely well (despite the windy conditions) and acquitted themselves maturely and professionally. Congratulations!
On Tuesday 28 November, the Concert Band and Philharmonic Orchestra wowed the incoming Year 7 for 2024, as part of the welcome assembly for Orientation Day. After such inspiring performances, the IMP looks set to welcome a healthy intake of new young musicians in 2024!
On top of these performances, the IMP continues to perform at every Fort Street school assembly, and our final assembly performance for the year, featuring the Symphony Orchestra, will take place this Friday 1 December. Later on that evening the incredible work of the IMP ensembles will be showcased in our annual Summer Concert.