2025 Music Showcase Evening
On Tuesday 3 December, St Ursula’s College community gathered for the annual 2025 Music Showcase, an uplifting celebration of the hard work, dedication, and musical achievement of our students. The vision and coordination from Sarah Olsen, our Amadeus Coordinator, Elective Music teacher and Senior Music teacher were central to the success of the program and the performances seen on stage.
The Amadeus Music Program has continued to flourish this year with enriching, high-quality musical opportunities, both inside and beyond the classroom.
The evening opened with performances from our Year 7 String Extension Groups.
- Groups 2 and 4 presented a joyful “Jingle Bells.”
- Groups 1 and 3 followed with a polished performance of “Bach and Beyond.”
These ensembles are part of the programs, ensuring students are supported from their earliest stages of musical development. For many, it was their first public performance—an important milestone nurtured through a structured and thoughtful program design.
The String Ensemble performed “Overture – Dieci al prezzo di uno,” followed by a touching vocal item, “Love Moves in Mysterious Ways” from Year 9 student Karylle Dagalea—one of many elective students mentored in the elective classroom.
One of the evening’s standout performances came from Gabriella Saliba, Joyce Wang, and Marion Choi, whose arrangement of “Stand Up” formed part of their Year 9 Elective Music assessment. Their performance demonstrated the depth of learning in elective program of American Spirituals and Gospel, showcasing creativity and confident performance across multiple instruments. Their use of harmonica, bass guitar, piano and vocals.
The Concert Band Extension groups, developed through the Amadeus Program, continued to highlight the their strengths:
- The Year 7 Concert Band energised the audience with “Seven Nation Army.”
- The Year 8 Concert Band delivered a dynamic performance of “High Hopes.”
This section also featured beautiful solo performances by two elective students has supported through classroom and program.
- Isabelle Ung – “Couple Minutes”
- Jacinta Shori – “Funeral”
The Year 8 Extension Concert Band, run under Danielle Buiaroski, then performed Highlights from Willy Wonka, a nostalgic return to one of the College’s recent musical productions.
Our co-curricular ensembles have had an active year performing at assemblies, eisteddfods, Year 7 orientation, community events, and school celebrations.
At the showcase, the following groups performed:
- St Ursula’s Orchestra performed “Christmas at the Movies,”
- Extension Winds Ensemble presented “My Shot” from
Hamilton.
The professionalism, confidence, and musical cohesion displayed by these ensembles were well received.
Two exceptional solo performances highlighted the high standards of the elective program.
- Marion Choi performed Debussy’s “Arabesque No. 1,” showcasing advanced technical control and expressive sensitivity.
- Anabel McNamara (Year 11) impressed with a soulful, jazz-inspired performance of “At Last.” By Etta James
The night concluded with a vibrant performance of “September” by the College Stage Band, bringing the showcase to an exciting and joyful finish led by Mr Valente and Danielle Buiaroski.
A special acknowledgement was given to:
- Stephanie Josifovski for Hosting the night and Jamie Valente and the Year 11 Entertainment students for technical support
- A special thank you to our dedicated Amadeus tutors: Oscar Sweeny, Ursula Luxton, and Danielle Buiaroski, who conducted their groups and other tutors groups on the night.
We look forward to another inspiring year of music-making in 2026.
Sarah Olsen
Music Educator & Amadeus Coordinator
