Brass Concert
On Tuesday 30 August, Tintern Grammar held its annual Brass Concert. This event is a brilliant way to introduce new musicians to performing in front of an audience, as well as being a great opportunity for the more experienced musicians to perform. A number of students chose to perform an exam piece in preparation for their AMEB music exam the next morning. The audience of parents, friends and teachers were very friendly and supportive, making it less nerve-racking for the students. There were more than ten items, including solos, duets and trios, with students from Year 3 to Year 12 playing various styles. For some of the 15 students, it was their first time playing in front of an audience, including Jonah Fleming on French Horn, Mitchell Gerin and Oliver Huang on Trombone and Jay Jensen and Abbey Van Bremen on Trumpet. For the Intermediate Brass Ensemble, it was also their first time playing at a concert and the group played confidently and extremely well. Overall, the students did a fabulous job and thoroughly enjoyed the night. We would like to thank Ms Pisani and Mr Bathgate for helping to prepare us for this evening.
by Maya Watt, Year 12
Percussion Concert
On Tuesday 30 August, percussion students from all year levels were given the opportunity to perform a piece they had learnt during the year. The members of the Percussion Ensemble who practise together on a weekly basis also performed. With background music and a supportive audience, students thoroughly enjoyed the experience. For some percussion students, it was their first opportunity to perform. There was a range of difficulty presented in the pieces. Hopefully, the younger students were able to look up to the more experienced players and be inspired to keep practising! Overall, it was a fun and enjoyable night and a great way for us to perform to our parents and members of the Tintern Music community. We thank Ms Nalini Scarfe for teaching us and preparing us for this concert.
by Gemma Bettess, Year 9
String Concert
This year’s Senior String Concert, held in the CM Wood Centre on Tuesday 6 September, was a grand event that showcased many of our Year 7-12 students. The evening featured over 30 performances covering a range of styles and instruments including violin, viola, cello, double bass and harp. In addition to this, there were performances by three string quartets, a cello ensemble and a staff ensemble featuring Mrs Clementson, Mrs Mackie, Mr Veldman and Mr White. This was certainly a highlight of the evening. All students are to be congratulated on their performances which were thoroughly enjoyed by a supportive audience.
On behalf of all the students, I would like to thank the string teachers for their commitment, dedication and support that made this event possible. A special thank you must be extended to Mrs Clementson for accompanying such a large number of performers, as well as our student accompanists, Rita Chen and Victor Tran.
by Corey Robinson Year 12
World Music Incursion: Salaka – the Music of West Africa
Tuesday morning (12 September) brought a tide of excitement across the Year 7 and 8 students, who were privileged to be the audience for the performance by the West African ensemble ‘Salaka’. ‘Salaka’ is the Ghanaian word for ‘sharing’ and the group members shared with us their culture through music and dance, using the traditional drums of West Africa. The band’s skill and command of their instruments took everyone’s breath away. We were introduced to the ‘djembe’, the ‘aslator’, the ‘ashakai’ and many other traditional instruments. We were given an opportunity to play the drums ourselves, accompanied at times by an ensemble of slightly dubious teachers! Many of us had studied African drums before, but this performance was a chance for us to witness a live performance of the cultural music of Africa, at the expert hand of the Salaka ensemble. Overall, we enjoyed this engaging and invigorating incursion.
Afterwards, classes 8A and 8D were invited to participate in a workshop with the African drummers, where we developed a closer relationship with the djembe drum and explored new ideas and rhythmical patterns. The material we were taught by the talented Salaka drummers will become the springboard for our Year 8 Performing Arts later this year and we look forward to showcasing this unique work that captures the spirit and culture of West Africa. We would like to thank the Salaka ensemble for their incredible performance and workshop, and Ms Bortolussi for giving us such an amazing opportunity to experience the music of Ghana.
by Ashleigh Dowling, Year 8
Choral Concert
On Wednesday 14 September the Music Department closed their concert program for the term with a Choral Concert in the CM Wood Centre. This was the first time we have staged a purely choral event and it was designed to showcase the term’s work of all our choirs. The evening began with a hauntingly beautiful song called the ‘Night Wind’ sung by the Intermediate Girls Choir and concluded with all choristers performing the uplifting and joyous ‘Oye’, a Mexican inspired work about hope for the future. The special guests for the evening were a Barbershop Quartet from the East City Sound Chorus who performed three A cappella works prior to joining with the Senior Girls Chamber Choir for two numbers they had prepared at workshops earlier in the term. The Senior Boys Chamber Choir reprised their repertoire from their notable performance at the H. R. Stevens Memorial Concert at the end of July and the Intermediate Boys Choir entertained all with their vocal rendition of the Pink Panther. A highlight of the evening was the performance of two beautiful works of Mozart – the Ave Verum and the Laudate Dominum. Both these works were accompanied by portable organ and a small chamber orchestra. The Laudate Dominum featured Heidi Ruckert as the soprano soloist.
I would like to take this opportunity to wish all music students and their families a restful and happy holiday. I thank all the students for their ongoing commitment and contribution to the music program and I thank the parents for their continued support of their children and all our events.
by Ms Anne Bortolussi, Acting Director of Music
