Music Matters
In Music Matters this week, read about:
A Masterclass with Håkan Hardenberger
On Tuesday, 11 August a small group of brass-playing students and teachers were lucky enough to see and hear Håkan Hardenberger run a masterclass at the Sydney Opera House. Hardenberger is a world-renowned Swedish trumpeter who has performed with some of the most prestigious musicians in the world, including Sir Simon Rattle, the Boston and London Symphony Orchestras and regularly performing masterclasses in Paris and London. After this Masterclass, he also performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. These achievements are just milestones in his 40-year career of musical prowess, beginning at the age of 24 upon release of his first album, The Virtuoso Trumpet.
We were lucky enough to see him run three masterclasses: a trumpet, a French horn and a trombone. It was remarkable to see his careful guidance of each of the player’s technique, from small details like the articulation of each note, to the broad perspectives of the music as a whole, in order to “move the playing up a gear”, as he put it. His enthusiasm and encouragement were inspiring to the audience and the players, shown in the improvement of the players throughout the masterclass and the lively applause at the end! He also gave us insights as to how he works, and it was amazing to hear that even an expert like Hardenberger needs to rehearse for up to two hours just before a concert!
Charlotte Lowe (Year 9)
Baroque Dance with Year 8
Year 8 Music was fortunate enough to be welcomed by Sydney Baroque Ballet, who taught us how to do Baroque dance. We all unleashed our inner ballerina as we learnt some simple moves and positions. Along the way, we learnt about the history and music theory behind Baroque dance and realised how lucky we were that we didn’t have to be presented to the King, where it wasn’t uncommon for inadequate dancing to result in losing favour or being excluded from future court entertainments!
Throughout the morning, we learnt about common musical styles, which positions and steps paired best with the music, and how the orchestra and dancers work together to create a memorable experience while still following the guidelines and rules of ballet. Through this Baroque immersion, Year 8 made some very long-lasting memories and came to the realisation that it might be best if we stuck to our instruments!
Charlotte Randall (Year 8)
Festival on Forbes Performances
Thank you to all involved in the fabulous musical performances at the Festival on Forbes.
Sing with the Sydney Symphony
Over the past week, 16 students in Years 7 and 10 were fortunate enough to undertake a once in lifetime opportunity to perform on three sold-out concerts at the Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the iconic Aussie band, The Cat Empire.
Prior to this experience, very few of us had even heard of the band, but of course we all signed up anyway out of love for the game – little did we know when we started rehearsals that a week later, we had undertaken one of the best musical experiences of our lives and will be humming our favourite Cat Empire tunes for years to come.
We performed a variety of music, ranging from upbeat, dance-all-night songs like Two Shoes to slow, chorally challenging songs like Be with You Again and Miserere, touching tributes to the lead singer Felix’s late brother Max. We were also able to feature in the debut of the band’s newest song Ballet, which featured an exquisite duet between Felix and his daughter – poignant moments that melted our conductor Sam’s tiny heart, (to put it in his words). Performing alongside Gondwana choirs, as well as the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, was also an unforgettable experience, it was truly inspiring being in the same room as such passionate, talented musicians.
Sometimes rehearsals were long and went late but were all worth it- we got to show off our beautiful DB centre as the first rehearsal was in our very own Great Hall. All of us made friends along the way, from fellow Sydneysiders to choristers from Coffs Harbour or Queensland, further cementing this as an unforgettable experience.
One of the most enjoyable aspects as a performer was the choreography. Dancing is not the strong suit of most of us (unless you consider Mr Massey’s CVE ‘choralography’ of course), but by the end of it, everyone was dancing their hearts out alongside the new friends we had made throughout the journey. It felt so freeing knowing we were just there to have fun, especially in the freestyle sections, which by the end became fully choreographed numbers complete with a LOT of jazz hands.
All of the girls in Years 7 and 10 from the choral program who participated would like to say a big thank you to music staff, especially Ms Jones, who has become a second mother to us all during the experience. On top of doing all the behind-the-scenes administration and wrangling 16 teenage girls to be in the right place, at the right time, in the right uniform (which is essentially a full-time job), she was always waiting for us with a welcoming smile when we arrived at the Opera House, and there to congratulate us after each performance. We truly couldn’t have asked for a better person to lead us on this experience. And to all the other SCEGGS staff who came along, thank you for your eternal patience on the sing-along bus rides, and excited debriefs after the event. You made our experience truly brighter than gold!
Thank you as well to parents for all your support along the way, picking up and dropping off to many a rehearsal on a very busy week. Thank you to Opera House and SSO Staff, Sam Allchurch from Gondwana Choirs (for both your true passion for symmetry as well as genuinely wonderful choral guidance), our bestie Giulian Favrin from SSO (better known to us as King Giulian), John Nolan, Daniella Garnero and all the other volunteers – we loved your work and we are so grateful for guidance during this experience!
We hope those who came as audience members – including Mr Gresham, Mr Tierney, Mrs Sweeney, Ms Holmes, Ms McClintock and Miss Harrigan, and many of our parents (including Ms Gyton’s) – loved the performances as much as we did.
Stay tuned for the release of the concert recordings on Spotify!
We are so very Miserere that this short chapter of our lives is over, and we wish we could do this for So Many Nights as those moments really were Ballet. We are looking forward to many more choral opportunities in the future and in our school lives.
Year 10 choristers: Charlotte Frilingos, Eva Giurtalis, Perri Lawrence, Georgiana Porter and Sophie Wu.
Photos courtesy of Cassandra Hannagan and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (permission granted).
TMO Junior String School
The Metropolitan Orchestra’s TMO Junior String School is an exciting school holiday orchestral training program for young musicians aged 7-14 years. TMO Juniors will experience three days of orchestral rehearsals and tutorials with tutors from The Metropolitan Orchestra, working towards a performance on the final day. Led by TMO’s Artistic Director Sarah-Grace Williams and TMO’s incredible string educators, this experience will be enriching, exciting, nurturing, lots of fun! In addition to outstanding music tuition, students will take part in fun daily activity and team-building sessions and experience the thrill of performing together in concert on the final day of camp.
Click here for more information.
Music beyond the Green Gate
We love hearing about ways our musicians are involved in music-making outside of school. Please send details to Heidi Jones.
Heidi Jones
Head of Music (Co-curricular)
