2005 School Magazine

Instrumental Music

Instrumental Music

From the Music Captains

Our first public performance was in the beautiful St Stephen’s Cathedral immediately after Easter. Striking performances from Chamber Orchestra, Grammar Singers and Chamber Singers and a new brass ensemble marked a high quality start to an exciting term. The May Series Concerts allowed the intermediate and junior groups to demonstrate their progress. Running concurrently was the annual Instrumental and Vocal Competition involving many of our most talented musicians. Winners of each instrumental section progressed to a semi-final from which four finalists were selected to compete for the R.T. and A.E. Jefferies Bursary at the Artists in Concert performance. Katherine McCombe (12O, Woodwind Prize), Anna Jacobson (12M, Brass Prize), Kaitlin Rutledge (11G, Wight Memorial Medal for Music), and Julia Colwill (10G,

“If music be the food of love, play on.” This timeless quotation from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night perfectly sums up what Brisbane Girls Grammar School music is all about. With over 400 young women participating in the music programme, we have had the best year of music ever. The enthusiasm and hard work of students and their ensemble directors have been paramount. Early in Term I, senior instrumentalists participated in the annual Music Camp at Watson Park, Dakabin, where intensive rehearsals restored our musical talents and skills (mostly unpractised over the Christmas break). The ‘Welcome to New Music Families’ concert was our first performance for 2005. We decorated the Gehrmann Theatre with seasonal leaves for our Autumn Concert which showcased musicians in fifteen different band and string groups. During Performance Weekwhich concluded the term, individuals and ensembles impressed their adjudicators and teachers with their talents honed by seven weeks of practice.

Vocal Prize) gave quality performances throughout the competition, setting high standards for Brisbane Girls Grammar School music. Congratulations are extended to Kaitlin on her tremendous achievement in winning the prestigious R.T. and A.E. Jefferies Bursary. A choirs concert commenced Term III with performances by Vocal Ensemble, Chorale and Grammar Singers, as well as a special appearance by Brisbane Grammar School’s Grammarphones. Collaboration continued with the Senior and Intermediate String Festivals in which all our string ensembles participated with a number of other schools. One of the highlights of this term was the August trip to Melbourne for 25 girls selected for the Combined Schools Music Festival, hosted by Scotch College. Our musicians were able to perform beside other talented

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School Magazine 2005 131