Director of Music
At Santa Sabina College, we place a tremendous emphasis not only on the robust development of key musical skills, but holistically speaking – on music as a critical expressive and communicative art form – part of what it means to be richly human.
As a window into all the ways we seek every day to express the values stated above, I hope you enjoy the updates below, brimming full of exciting happenings in the Music Department from the past few weeks and looking to the weeks ahead!
For those who have enquired about our Santa Sings! Community Singing initiative communications will be coming to your email inbox soon as this fun endeavour begins to take shape. Sign up here if you want to join the 80 parents and friends who have expressed interest so far!
Wishing you a wonderful few weeks as we draw to the end of the term.
Amy Richardson
Director of Music P-12
Australian Composers Day Camp
This past weekend saw our Australian Composers Day Camp take place across Saturday and Sunday, full of inspiring seminars and sessions with a very clear emphasis on finding and trusting your voice. Elective Music students from Years 9-12 and students from all over NSW joined us for this opportunity to experiment with the many potential access points to composition in the contemporary landscape. Sydney Conservatorium of Music staff Ella Macens, Dr Daniel Rojas and Dr Nick Russoniello were dynamic as they shared their experience and passion, and it is our hope that as a result of this investment, our Santa Sabina students won’t just continue their growth as exceptional technicians, but that they will find their own voice; decide what it is they want to say, and allow music to be the vehicle for this message to the world.
Barkindji Songwoman Nancy Bates composed a song with our girls on Saturday 3 March which was completed in under two hours, honouring our grandmothers and matriarchal figures – our Dominican Sisters included. It was a very profound and deploy moving exchange, and this work will be premièred at our 130th Anniversary Gala Concert at the Sydney Town Hall on 25 June 2024.
Cadences of Life – Year 12 IB Composition Showcase
On 29 February our Year 12 IB students presented their Higher Level projects as part of their Contemporary Music Maker projects for the Diploma in a showcase they titled Cadences of Life. The evening demonstrated an extraordinary standard of both composition and performance craft, and the students’ self-direction here was exceptional. We congratulate all the IB Music students, and thank all the supporting staff who assisted them along the way.
Welcome to our new specialists!
In light of the huge growth we are seeing in our Private Tuition stream, we are delighted to welcome some new tutors to our team! Please join us in welcoming renowned percussionist, session musician and educator, Jamie Castrisos – who will be building a studio with a specific focus on Drum Kit in the contemporary music context. Jamie will be teaching at both Del Monte and in the Senior Campus, and we welcome expressions of interest from students who would like to learn kit with a world-class professional. Additionally, we are thrilled to have three new exceptional tutors for Violin and Viola – Amber Davis, Alexandra Arkapaw and Felicity Yau adding their excellence to our established programs here. These three specialists will also have some limited space in their private studios, and we invite you to register for lessons (using this link) to maximise this opportunity.
Semester One Recital Series
An important value for our Private tuition programs is to ensure we assist with goal setting and the provision of opportunities to develop performance skill, beyond the learning of the instrument itself. This is a wonderful chance for students to share with parents and friends in a safe and relaxed way, and we invite you to join us on Friday 15 March for our first co-curricular recital of the year starting at 3:45pm.
Encore!
We are immeasurably proud of Year 12 Graduate 2023, Eva Whitbread, who played to two packed houses at the Sydney Opera House on Monday evening, in a boutique shortlist of the tens of thousands of NESA HSC Music performances that took place last year. Eva performed her arrangement of Dance of Eternity by 80’s Progressive Metal Band Dream Theatre to a raucous reception! This is a coveted achievement and Ms Skerman, music staff and students were delighted to see her in action for one last time, supported capably by our Santa Sabina Music Specialist Tutors as her band.
Drum roll… MUSIC TOURS 2025!
In the coming weeks we will be announcing the details for the long-awaited Music Tours that are planned for 2025, and launching our information evening for interested parents and students. We are delighted to offer two tours in 2025 – a tour to Japan in the April school holidays for our Taiko and Japanese language students, and a larger scale tour to Italy in the September holidays that will be open to any Santa Sabina ensemble musician from Years 7-12. (Younger students may apply to attend but acceptance may be conditional and at the discretion of the College). Information to come!
REGISTER FOR MUSIC OPPORTUNITIES AT SANTA SABINA
A reminder of the process of enrolment for private tuition – you can register via the College App or using the link below for lessons in any of the following instruments – Piano, Harp, Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Voice, Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon, Saxophone, Trumpet, Trombone, Euphonium, Tuba, French Horn, Orchestral Percussion, Drum Kit, Guitar, Bass Guitar, Composition and Musicianship individual or group lessons.
And don’t forget that one of the best ways to apply new musical skills is in a Group Ensemble context! Our ensembles have also shown strong growth in numbers and committed attendance this year – with preparation for our 130th Year events kicking off across all streams! Jump on board with our ensemble program of choirs, bands and orchestras in 2024 by registering with the link below.
SSC Partnership – Free concert tickets!
As part of our ongoing partnership with early music ensemble Consort 8 (featuring our former Director of Music, Timothy Chung) Santa Sabina students are offered free attendance at their forthcoming concert to be held in the Santa Sabina Chapel on 23 March 2024 at 6:00pm. A particularly exciting event for those Year 3 and 4 recorder players who might like to see different versions of their instrument! Look at these interesting Recorders that will be played at the concert!?
Find out more
If you would like to know more about one of our music offerings across the school (be it choirs, bands, orchestras or private tuition) please reach out via music@ssc.nsw.edu.au or to Ms Suzanna Touma in the Music Office at s.touma@ssc.nsw.edu.au and we will be happy to assist you.