Artistic Director

Australian Composition Day

On Monday 25 July,  Years 9-11 Music Elective classes were joined by other music students from across Sydney for Australian Composition Day – big thanks to Ensemble Offspring and their Artistic Director Claire Edwardes, feature composers Brenda Gifford (First Nations Composer) and Elizabeth Younan (Class of 2011) and presenter Damian Barbeler. A great day of music-making and collaboration!

Santa Sabina has been the convenor and host of this annual event promoting Australian music and composers since 2014. Fifteen works by our students were selected to be workshopped on the day, as well as an in-depth study of two set works by our guest composers. No student works were submitted from the eight visiting schools that attended the day-long event. This is a testament to the work of our music teachers and composition tutor Elizabeth Younan. The creativity and standard of composition at Santa Sabina are outstanding, and our students are extremely fortunate to have such a rich and nurturing environment to grow as musicians. Thank you once again to Mrs Suzanna Touma, Music Administrator 5-12, for her tireless work in the background for making such a big day (and all music department events) run so smoothly.

Australian Composition Day report

Cordelia Highfield
Year 11

On 25 July, Years 9 – 11 elective music students were treated to the annual Australian Composition Day (ACD) hosted at Santa Sabina. The day is designed to allow students to hear the pieces they wrote themselves played and workshopped by professionals in the field. This particular ACD is fortunate enough to have Ensemble Offspring come and play student works. 

Ensemble Offspring specialise in playing contemporary Australian works with living composers. Through this, they aim to push the boundaries and landscape of new music and create an immersive sensory experience. With their exceeding level of expertise in this specialised niche, it was an enriching opportunity and honour for us as students to hear our own works in real life. Also in attendance on the day was Damian Barbeler, the event’s compère. Mr Barbeler has a wealth of knowledge regarding contemporary composition and works closely with high school students. His ability to make constructive critiques and suggestions to our own pieces exposed students to new ways of thinking and a variety of ways to approach composition, an area of music that can often seem daunting for young musicians. 

As one of the fortunate students to be chosen to have my composition heard, it was an incredible experience. It is one thing to hear the electronic version of your own piece, but a different one to hear it performed live. Getting the chance to hear my work performed live and receiving direct feedback from the musicians is an opportunity that cannot be surpassed. The musicians talked in depth about how important it is to have open lines of communication between the composer and the musicians and how when both parties work together, it creates a more cohesive and satisfactory performance. Receiving live feedback meant that students could work with Ensemble Offspring to discuss what their own works could be improved upon to make the piece clearer for the performers. 

There were opportunities throughout the day to hear Ensemble Offspring play works from Brenda Gifford and Santa Sabina’s own composer in residence, Elizabeth Younan (class of 2011). Ms Giffords piece ‘Plover Bird’ reflects her own childhood as an Indigenous Australian with a deep-rooted connection to nature and country. Ensemble Offspring performed the work whilst Ms Gifford detailed her own compositional approach and how she incorporates unique flair into her own works. Miss Younan’s piece ‘Electors of Middlemarch’ played with ideas of spoken text working in tandem with percussive instruments. The piece was performed by Ensemble Offspring’s esteemed leader Claire Edwardes OAM, who masterfully performed the piece in its various sections whilst Miss Younan provided commentary on what emotion she was attempting to project through the mixture of the vocal line and the percussive line. Both works, whilst completely contrasting each other, were exemplary examples of contemporary music within Australia. Both ‘Plover Bird’ and ‘Electors of Middlemarch’ provided insight into the vast spectrum of styles of music being written today, showcasing to the students that there is no one right way to compose and that each piece written is unique to the composer and their own style and approach. 

Overall, ACD was an excellent day. Exposing young musicians, like myself, to industry-level professionals was an opportunity we are all grateful for. It was a highly beneficial, insightful experience and one that all attendees thoroughly enjoyed. 

Music ensembles and private tuition

It is not too late to join our ensembles or start private tuition. For more information regarding the Music Program, including choirs, bands and orchestras, please visit https://veritasonline.ssc.nsw.edu.au/homepage/62

Semester 2 Private Instrumental Tuition – Register and Pay

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Year 5 – Year 12 Semester Two Private Music Tuition

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Semester 2 Taiko – Register and Pay

Primary Years Taiko Club (Years 3-4 students)

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Junior Taiko Ensemble (Years 5-6 students)

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Senior Taiko Ensemble (Years 7-12 students)

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Timothy Chung
Artistic Director P-12