Music Matters

“This will be our reply to violence:

To make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before”

Leonard Bernstein

Sending Love And Prayers To Ukraine

Amati Strings learnt the Ukranian National Anthem in rehearsal last week. The girls were reflecting with Mrs Sweeney about the conflict in Ukraine and lamenting that the week before Lent is usually a celebratory time in Ukraine when the Festival of “Masliana” is celebrated, a feast that marks the end of Winter and the beginning of Spring. The Ukranian tradition is to eat pancakes every day in the week prior to the beginning of Orthodox Lent. Pancakes symbolise the sun, as families say goodbye to the long winter.

Click here to listen to Amati Strings performing the Hymn of Ukraine, the country’s national anthem.

Students might like to download a violin arrangement of the folksong Verbovaya Doschechka.  The main melody is in the Violin 1 part.  There is an interesting story relating to this folksong, which you could read here.

Open Morning 11 March – Woodwind Ensemble Performance

Congratulations to members of the Woodwind Ensemble who performed at the Open Morning for new families of 2024.  The students provided musical entertainment for the new families, it was a lovely way to welcome them to the school. 

Thank you to Ms Nicole Barrett for her preparation of the ensemble and to Mr Tierney who supervised the performance. Well done Woodwind Ensemble!

Musical Mentors

Secondary string players have been wonderful role models for their younger counterparts this term. Students from Contemporary Strings and Amati Strings have been attending primary string ensemble rehearsals to assist the younger girls to prepare repertoire for Musicale 1, to be held on Tuesday 29 March at 6pm in the Great Hall. The theme of the Musicale 1 Concert is Of Foreign Lands and Places: Musical Travel. Sinfonietta and Chamber Strings are preparing a range of exciting pieces to share and have benefitted both musically and socially from having Musical Mentors in rehearsals.

Special thanks to Sophie Gallagher-Horne, Ashley Diec, Caitlin Cameron and Mia Chang for giving up their mornings to provide guidance and encouragement. Little girls love big girls, so we have had lots of fun together this term!

Mrs Anne Sweeney
Director of Strings

Madrigal Excursion to Australian Brandenburg Orchestra – featuring Astrid Girdis (Class of 2021)

Members of the Madrigal ensemble attended a performance by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra last Wednesday 9 March at City Recital Hall, Angel Place.  Students went and listened to the “Paradisum” concert which featured a selection of Baroque works by Lully and Rameau and the beautiful Requiem by French composer Gabriel Fauré.  The concert featured Ms Heidi Jones (on the baroque organ) and Astrid Girdis (class of 2021).  Astrid is currently studying at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and was selected by Paul Dyer AO (Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s Artistic Director) from an audition earlier this year.  Astrid was featured as a part of a voice quintet in the first half of the concert, and she also sang as a part of the mass choir in the Requiem. 

Thank you to Miss Allison Harrigan for organising the excursion for the Madrigal singers and to support Astrid in her first performance with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.

 
SCEGGS Eisteddfod 2022 – Well done all performers!

The SCEGGS Eisteddfod heats for both Primary and Secondary students have concluded on Tuesday 15 March.  The heats began on Friday 11 March with vocalists and Year 12 students performing prior to their Assessment period. 

Congratulations to all students who have participated in the Eisteddfod heats.  It has been a wonderful opportunity for the girls to share their music, after a disruptive year of instrumental and vocal tuition.  Thank you to students and their families who have submitted a video entry, it is very much appreciated. 

I would like to express my deepest thanks and appreciation to Ms Heidi Jones and to Miss Stephanie Holmes for their planning and organisation of this event.  Thank you also to all music staff with their support and class teachers who have facilitated with students performing in heats. 

Practice-a-thon – Return your Practice Tracker

Please return your Practice Tracker to your instrumental tutor or your Music class teacher so that your results can be collated.

SCEGGS Eisteddfod Highlights Concerts 2022

There are two concerts to celebrate the musical talents in our school community:

• Primary Highlights concert: Friday 25 March at 4:30pm

Secondary Highlights concert: Friday 25 March at 6.00pm

• A variety of awards are made at these concerts:

1. Outstanding Musician of the Primary School/Secondary School
2. Wran Prize for Up and Coming Vocalist (Secondary only)
3. Acknowledgement Awards

Our Adjudicators had a tough job this week to refine the number of participants to a group of 15-20 performers to perform at each Highlights concert (Primary & Secondary).

Please see here for the list of students who have been selected.

Primary Highlights Concert participants

Secondary Highlights Concert participants

We look forward to your attendance at the Highlights Concerts.

Any questions please contact Ms Heidi Jones

Pauline Chow
Head of Music