Director of Music P-12

Welcome to Term 4! This short term is as full as it is compact – from Celebration of Music, Fra Angelico and Advent Carols, to Speech Night and Thanksgiving Masses across the school, there is much beautiful music still to be made.

It was a profound joy and privilege to witness our students shine on the international stage during the Santa Sabina College Italian Music Tour 2025. From Rome to Florence and Venice, our students performed with grace, passion and professionalism, receiving standing ovations at every concert.

Among the most moving moments was leading the singing during Mass at St Peter’s Basilica, and again at the Basilica di Santa Sabina. To sit in the very choir stalls where St Dominic once sat, to sing the Missa de Angelis, and lead hundreds of worshippers in sacred song was deeply humbling. Sharing our Australian repertoire and feeling so warmly welcomed was profoundly significant.

We participated in masterclasses and workshops with leading European practitioners, and as well as all the usual tourist highlights we visited sites of special significance to our identity as a College. In this Jubilee Year, we walked through Holy Doors and visited the resting places of St Cecilia and St Catherine. As we reflected on their lives and example, we considered how we too might ‘shake the world’ in our own ways in the future ahead.

The girls performed at an outstanding standard and embodied the highest ideals of Santa Sabina College – both personally and musically across the duration of the tour – showcasing the very best of the holistic education our College provides. We are already dreaming of our next adventures!

Please spread the word and join us at all the events across the term as we add our musical efforts to celebrate another extraordinary year.

Amy Richardson
Director of Music P–12

Celebration of Music Concert

Friday 14 November 2025 | Santa Sabina Hall | 5:00pm

This year’s Celebration of Music Concert will take place on site in our own Santa Sabina Hall.

We invite you to join us for a thrilling culmination of our co-curricular music year, featuring international musical styles designed to challenge and extend our young musicians – while delighting our audience with our display of variety and virtuosity. Highlights will include works by Australian composers Lisa Young and Paul Stanhope; and our Year 12 2025 graduate Sophia Wong who was selected to perform the beloved Butterfly Lovers’ Concerto with our Symphony Orchestra. A vibrant evening of global sound and musical excellence awaits. Admission is free and doors open at 4:45pm. See you there!

Fra Angelico Festival

Every child from Mary Bailey House to Year 6 is performing! Once again at our annual Fra Angelico festival of the Arts, our youngest musicians will take centre stage in a joyful celebration of learning and creativity. Featuring festive, crowd-pleasing repertoire from our P-6 Curriculum Music program, this concert is a heartwarming highlight of the year. With every child from Mary Bailey House to Year 6 performing alongside some selected senior groups, there are many logistics involved. More details will be shared soon in upcoming letters – thank you for checking information carefully to ensure your young performer is in the right place at the right time on the night – ahead of enjoying the festival and making great memories themselves!

Advent Carols

Monday 1 December 2025 | Santa Sabina Chapel | 6:00pm

A beloved tradition of beauty and reflection, this year’s Advent Carols will feature our College and Chamber Choirs, members of the College Symphony Orchestra and special guests. Don’t miss this beautiful event – join us in the Chapel for an evening of sacred music and community reflection as we welcome the season of Advent together.

Congratulations Year 10 Rock Band

We extend our warmest congratulations to Boulevarde ‘27 – our exceptional Year 10 rock band, whose debut single Fly has been shortlisted for the 2025 Australian Songwriting Contest, presented by the Australian Songwriters Association.

This highly regarded national competition is open to songwriters of all ages, making the band’s recognition a truly outstanding achievement. We gratefully acknowledge the guidance and support of Ms Veronica Tsang, whose mentorship has been central within the band’s development. Finalists will be announced at the end of October, and we wish Boulevarde ’27 every success as they continue to ‘fly’ as a group.

Friday Afternoon Open Recitals

The final Open Recital for 2025 will take place on Friday 7 November at 3:45pm in Adams, Holyrood. These informal performances provide a supportive space for students to share their music and develop their performance skills. If your child would like to participate, please reach out to the Music Office and discuss this with your music teacher. We look forward to:

Strings Breakfast Recital

The annual Strings Breakfast recital (opening the doors of our regular weekly rehearsal time to parents) was held on Monday 22 September from 7:15 – 8:30am in Santa Sabina Hall, offering a vibrant musical start to the week for all!

With over 90 students participating in this ensemble every week, and with Gioia House String students enjoying the opportunity to showcase their work also, the event provided a wonderful opportunity for families and staff to witness the students’ progress and musical growth. It was also a valuable moment for current Year 6 students in the Gioia House string program to experience what lies ahead in their musical journey.

We extend our sincere thanks to Ms Victoria Jacono-Gilmovich, Head of Strings Years 5-12, and her outstanding team of music tutors for their dedication, expertise and tireless support of our young musicians. Their work continues to inspire excellence and foster a deep love of music across the College.

Attendance Reminder

As we prepare for upcoming performances, it is important that we gently reaffirm a key expectation: students need to attend a minimum of 80% of all ensemble rehearsals in order to ensure their preparation to participate in culminating performances.

Every time a member is added or missing, the ensemble becomes something entirely new. Consistency is essential to achieving the high performance standards our students work hard for, and it’s important that this value is shared consistently by all members. If committing – commit with all your heart (and then add your time and effort to this!).

If you anticipate that maintaining this level of attendance will be difficult, you have likely already reached out to your ensemble leader to discuss this. If not, please reach out urgently to your ensemble leader and/or to me. We want to work with you to find ways to honour your rehearsal commitments – even when balancing multiple activities.

An important life lesson is therein: It is not okay to give 50% effort to two things. If we choose to alternate between rehearsals and another commitment, we are also choosing to creatively ensure we are somehow 100% prepared for both, despite the challenge of absence.

Let’s commit to one another. Those who do attend diligently each week deserve the reward of shared achievement – alongside your best efforts too! Shared vision, effort, focus and teamwork are what make our programs thrive. See you in rehearsal!

Any questions?

Don’t hesitate to reach out to music@ssc.nsw.edu.au if we can support your music journey in any way!