Musical offerings at our Annual Cathedral Service
On Friday 23 May, students, staff, and families gathered in St Paul’s Cathedral for the Tintern Grammar Annual Cathedral Service, a highlight of the school year for many. It was a day many performers had been waiting for to showcase their musical talents in such a grand space.
This year was particularly special for Sashenka and I, as we had the honour of performing solo verses in the cathedral for the very first time. I know it is a memory we will treasure.
The service featured a range of performances. The Chamber Orchestra and Clarinet Ensemble filled the space with heavenly sound and the choristers from our Intermediate, Concert and Chamber choirs united in a mass choral number, which produced a powerful and impactful sound. The Chamber Choir concluded the service with a beautiful sung blessing.
The Cathedral Service is such a meaningful event for the Tintern community. It’s a chance to come together, reflect, and express gratitude whilst being immersed in music. The music staff and organist all played key roles in ensuring a successful and harmonious service and did a wonderful job. As students, we are grateful for being able to participate in this event and I look forward to our next Cathedral Service in 2026.
Tammy Lerk
Choral Captain 2025
Senior Piano Concert
On Tuesday 20 May, the annual Senior Piano Concert saw Tintern’s pianists showcase their magnificent skills on stage, with students from all year levels performing a wide range of pieces from a variety of different genres. Held in the CM Wood Centre, the concert was an excellent way for our musicians to gain performance experience, with a warm and inviting atmosphere allowing performers to enjoy themselves in an encouraging and supportive environment. Moreover, it was an excellent opportunity for young pianists to practice performing their pieces for upcoming assessments in both AMEB and VCE fields of examination.
Each student took a step outside of their comfort zone and should be proud of their performance. The concert certainly proved that their practice and hard work had paid off! Many of our pianists learn at Tintern and are taught by some of our incredibly talented piano teachers. The students would like to thank Mrs Belinda Glass, Ms Catherine Wilson, Mrs Fiona Thomas, Ms Heather McKenzie, and especially our Head of Keyboard Mr Adrian Szondy, for the hard work they put in every day to ensure that our students become the best pianists they can be. Thank you to our Music Administrator, Mrs Quigley, and our Director of Music, Mrs Bezaire, for their contributions behind the scenes to ensure the success of the event and an extra vote of thanks to Mr Szondy for so efficiently organising his first Piano Concert series at Tintern!
Overall, the Senior Piano Concert was a wonderful evening, and we look forward to hearing more from our talented pianists at next year’s concert, so make sure you keep practising!
Sebastian Humphrys
School Pianist 2025
Small Ensembles Concert
On Tuesday 27 May, we were treated to a wonderful concert showcasing the musical talent of 10 of our smaller ensembles at Tintern. The Small Ensembles Concert is an opportunity for students from Years 5 -12 to develop their ability to connect and communicate through music and present what they’ve been working on throughout the year.
The concert included performances by the Percussion Ensemble who opened the program with a rousing rendition of ‘Who let the dogs out’. This was followed by further enjoyable offerings from the Saxophone Ensemble, Combo blue, the Middle School String Quartet, who made their debut at this concert. Dave Bathgate led the guitar ensemble in an acoustic cover of ‘The final countdown’, which was followed by the Brass Ensemble, Combo Electric and a captivating Australian composition ‘Epic’, performed by the Trigg Jazz Combo. The Clarinet Ensemble introduced a moment of calm with ‘Stony Skies’, before the Nu Jazz Band brought it home with the guitar featuring in ‘April Joy’.
It was truly a joy to listen to such a variety of small ensembles, each at a different stage in their musical journey. We look forward to future events which will showcase the wonderful talent of the young musicians here at Tintern!
Sashenka Fernando
Choral Captain 2025
Olivet aged care performance
On Tuesday 3 June, Tintern Grammar’s Years 8/9 Music Elective class travelled to perform for the residents of Olivet Aged Care in Ringwood. Students performed in small groups and as soloists and played a wide range of musical styles including original compositions, jazz standards, classical, pop and Broadway tunes. This performance served as a core curriculum performance outcome and gave us the opportunity to practise our arranging, rehearsing, collaborating and performing skills. After the performance, we mingled with the audience who expressed how much they had enjoyed the concert. Among the crowd was former Tintern Head of Keyboard, and current Olivet resident, Mrs Barbara Clementson. The class was rewarded with a post-concert lemon dessert kindly provided by the staff at Olivet. Our thanks to Mrs Bezaire for organising the event, captaining the bus, and giving us the chance to share our music with an audience.
Pop-up performance for our Admin Team
The Concert Choir popped up between the rain showers on Tuesday 3 June and provided an unexpectedly delightful song of appreciation for the hard-working team in our Administration Building. The lyrics of Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop the Feelin’’ were reimagined by choir members and school leaders, Daniel Sun and Arya Yogesh Kumar and the choir ‘surprised’ the team with a spontaneous performance of their creation in the Admin Carpark. It was lovely for the students to set eyes on our hidden gems from the Admin Building and a nice break from routine for the Admin Team to enjoy a little musical love from the choristers.
Save the date: Tintern Grammar Annual Concert Friday 8 August
Our choristers and musicians will once again grace the CM Wood Stage for a feast of music making. Pop the date in your diary so you don’t miss out: Friday 8 August, 7.00pm.
Alison Bezaire
Director of Music
