Generations in Jazz
What happens when you load a group of jazz musicians onto a bus and haul them up a mountain for the weekend? Generations in Jazz!
Generations in Jazz is a weekend-long Jazz Festival, held in Mount Gambier, which aims to encourage and inspire young jazz musicians, such as we Tinternites in the Ron Trigg Combo, Intermediate Stage Band, and Senior Stage Band.
After months of preparation and hard work, we were all incredibly proud to be able to perform within our divisions, as well as get a chance to see performances by other schools. Most exciting of all, we had the privilege of attending three concerts over three days, where we witnessed incredible and unforgettable performances by professional musicians, who not only inspired us, but had us cheering so loudly, we feared we might lose our voices.
This year was an undoubtedly special year to attend, as it was the first time the event has been held in person since 2019 due to COVID restrictions. This meant it was something completely new to many of the younger students, and now that it’s back on (in full swing!), it means it is something they have to look forward to for many years to come.
Friendship and camaraderie between band mates is not rare at Tintern, and both were constantly growing and evolving across the entire weekend. If there’s one thing all the students who attended can agree upon, it’s that we couldn’t have done it all without the amazing and constant support of our teachers. Mrs Clarke, Blakely (McLean Davies) and Mr Veldman were certainly the pillars of the entire weekend, encouraging and guiding us throughout it all. We couldn’t possibly express enough thanks to all of them.
Generations in Jazz 2023 was a huge success, and we look forward to the next one.
Charlotte du Blêt | Year 11 Instrumental Captain 2023
Cathedral Service 2023
On Friday 5 May, Tintern Grammar held its annual Cathedral Service at St Paul’s Cathedral.
Students and teachers were transported to the city by bus for the 10am service. For the processional, the Chamber Orchestra played the atmospheric Highland Cathedral with harp, as the Leadership team walked down the aisle. Our School anthem was sung, accompanied by the organ for the first time, which was an uplifting experience. Congregational hymns Here I am Lord and Honey in the Rock, were led by our 2023 Choral Captains, Liam Rosewarne and Emily Stokes and the Senior Girls Chamber choir performed an a cappella Call to Worship, A New Day which resonated throughout the cathedral. The combined Intermediate and Senior Choirs sang Look at the world and Million little Miracles which was led by our Year 12 girls Ellena Glenk, Natasha Gillam, Ella Jones and Lauren Spurr. This moving piece left many staff and students quite moved due to how beautifully it was delivered.
We were fortunate to have Reverend Tim Costello present the Sermon in such an engaging and passionate way as he spoke about the chosen bible reading The Good Samaritan, which was read by our faith captains Mimi Coghlan and Isaac Lin. Whilst the harp was played gracefully, the litany prayers were read by our School Leadership team. We are all so grateful to have the opportunity to visit this venue every year as it is truly a magnificent place to worship and raise our voices in song.
Emily Stokes | Year 11Co-Choral Captain 2023
Excursion to Olivet Aged Care Facility
On Tuesday 9 May, members of the Tintern Grammar Clarinet Ensemble and selected soloists headed off at recess to the Olivet Nursing Home in Ringwood to perform for the elderly citizens at this residence.
Solo performers on the day were: Millie Blank (Year 10), Ivan Chan (Year 10), Ruby Chen (Year 8), Bronte de Baux (Year 7), Sashenka Fernando (Year 10), Natasha Gillam (Year 12), Sophia Richards (Year 8), Daniel Sun (Year 10), Amy Zhang (Year 10)
The repertoire was very enjoyable for the audience, and the environment of the concert was very welcoming with a light informal atmosphere. The performance ended with the Clarinet Ensemble playing an outstanding piece to round out the program.
AMEB Examination results
Congratulations to the following students who passed AMEB Music examinations late in 2022 and early in 2023. Their certificates were awarded in Assembly on 12 May.
Lachlan Hsiao (Year 8)
Grade 1 Piano for Leisure – Honours
Anika Mulemane (Year 11)
Grade 4 Piano – Credit
Emily Stokes (Year 11)
Grade 5 Musical Theatre – Honours
Emma Jones (Year 12)
Grade 7 Popular Vocals – Merit
Festival of Cultures performance
In our Festival of Cultures Assembly on Friday 12 May, Enya Ouyang (Year 8) performed a beautiful piece on the guzheng, a traditional Chinese instrument which looks like a zither. Enya has played the guzheng since she was 5 years old and is a very accomplished performer on this instrument.
Kelson Music Awards
In honour of the memory of Mrs Ilma Kelson, Music Director at Tintern from 1958 to 1973, the Kelson Family has provided annual encouragement scholarships to be awarded to support the tuition of students in the pursuit of their music education. In addition to the Ilma Kelson Music Scholar Awards, the Kelson Family also provide additional Music Scholarships in honour of Ms Penelope Thwaites. Ms Thwaites, who is a world-famous pianist, was a student at Tintern from 1953 to 1960 and was School Pianist during her final three years at the school. She attended Tintern during the time Ilma Kelson was Director of Music at the school.
The awards will be presented in a special assembly in Term 3, and this year’s recipients of the Awards will be as follows:
Kelson Scholar Awards
Outstanding Senior Performer
Natasha Gillam (Year 12) – Voice
Music Scholar Encouragement Awards
Toby Blank (Year 8) – Clarinet
Sophie Zhu (Year 7) – Trombone
Penelope Thwaites Music Awards
Best Performances of an Australian Composition
Amy Zhang (Year 10) – Clarinet
Scarlett Mackie (Year 5) – Viola
Congratulations to our Kelson and Penelope Thwaites Award Recipients for 2023.
Alison Bezaire | Director of Music
