2017 School Magazine

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC REVIEW CONT. The annual chamber music competitions also took place in this Term during which girls improved their teamwork skills and strengthened their Girls Grammar sisterhood as they rehearsed and performed in three to four-person vocal, and instrumental ensembles.

Each of these intensive workshops allowed participants to rehearse, refine and perform their new and impressive ensemble and choral skills. Once again, some of the girls were also fortunate enough to perform at various external community events. At the ANZAC Nurses Vigil, Encore, our junior auditioned choir, was given the opportunity to perform in honour of the ANZAC nurses. Chamber Singers were also invited to sing in commemoration of the 1943 sinking of the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur at the annual Centaur Service. Throughout Term II, all senior girls also participated in the Vocal, Brass, String, Woodwind and Percussion divisions of the Brisbane Girls Grammar School Instrumental and Vocal Competition. Congratulations to all of those girls who performed and to the winners of the various sections. The finish of Term II saw the instrumental Combined School’s Music Festival take place in Canberra; an opportunity for a few lucky Grammar girls to be selected to travel to Canberra for five days of intensive rehearsals where they were fortunate enough to work with a range of well-known and highly esteemed conductors and students from various schools around Australia. Term III kicked off with the visit of Brian Balmages, an American composer, conductor and performer as the School’s 2017 Musician in Residence. During the first week, Balmages worked with all seven bands, seven string orchestras and the Symphony Orchestra. The week concluded with a performance by Chamber Orchestra, playing Balmages’ piece, Tango for One featuring soloist, Young Min Kim (12G). The jam-packed Term III also saw the annual Junior, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, and Senior Strings Festivals take place, where girls — over the course of two intensive days of rehearsing — worked with a variety of conductors and performed with students from Brisbane Grammar School and other schools. The Senior Strings Festival saw the Chamber Orchestra give the Australian premiere of Triptych for String Orchestra by Japanese composer, Yasushi Akutagawa.

At the yearly Choral Concert, every Girls Grammar chorister from Years 7 to 12 showcased a magnificently high level of talent and musicianship as they sang to the best of their abilities and executed fun, yet precise workall perfected by the dedication of the accompanists and conductors. The School’s annual Open Day took place during the afternoon and evening of Friday 28 July and was a great opportunity for future Girls Grammar students and families to view the many curricular and co-curricular activities offered, including by showcasing the Instrumental Music Department’s dedicated musicians. This saw ensembles and chamber groups perform throughout the School in the music rooms, the Annie Mackay Room, at the front gate and even in a choral flashmob in Gehrmann Lane. All were engaging performances, demonstrating the spirit and high standard of music within the school. The final term, Term IV, saw the culmination of the year’s work for students with performances by all groups at either the Spring Concerts, AVEO Retirement Village, Christmas Carols or the Gala Concert. This year’s Gala was entitled Let’s Dance and the music was either inspired by, or written especially for, dance. It was an uplifting and joy-filled night of music, song and dance! Congratulations to all students on a wonderful year of music making. Thank you to the staff, under the leadership of Mr Owen Clarke and then Mr Paul Holley OAM and Mrs Laurinda Davidson for their guidance and expertise in helping to draw the best music possible from us. We hope all have enjoyed the music making and felt part of the team of musicians that have made this a

memorable year for instrumental music. CHELSEA RICATO (12B), BAND CAPTAIN CATHERINE NICHOLLS (12L), STRING CAPTAIN JASMINE LUNN (12E), CHORAL CAPTAIN

116 | CO-CURRICULUM | BRISBANE GIRLS GRAMMAR SCHOOL 2017