Schola Cantorum Newsletter - Issue 1

Aquinas College Schola Cantorum

Newsletter

The Aquinas College Schola Cantorum was established as a means of providing boys from the age of eight a rigorous choral education. It is inspired by the great choir schools of Europe and North America and is the first of its kind here in Perth.

Term 1 2022

Welcome to the Aquinas College Choir 2021 Annual Review

Whew! What a year! 2021 was my favourite year in the Schola Choir so far. I think the highlight of the year for most people was the Schola Choir Tour. For this tour, we travelled down to Busselton. On the way down, we stopped at the Bunbury Cathedral. There, we sang a thirteen song concert. Then, we The Schola's close association went down to Busselton. The camp was so much fun, we sang with St Patrick's Basilica in (a lot), we went to Simmo’s Ice-creamery, we had a tour of Fremantle and organisations the Aboriginal Reserve, we played table tennis, and we even including, WA Opera and West had lunch at Tas's bakery! The tour was so much fun.

Australian Symphony Orchestra places it in a strong, if not unique, Another great thing in 2021 was having new kids in Year 4 join position to provide this form of the Schola. I had a lot of fun getting to know them, and specialist education and to showing them the ropes. In 2021, one of our biggest contribute to the development of performances was with the Australian Baroque. Having a traditional liturgical music. professional orchestra play was an amazing experience, and it is something I will never forget. The Schola choir has Choristers are fully involved in improved massively; we are able to learn songs at a much other aspects of life at the faster rate than previous years. For example, in 2020, a song College. Their main focus however like ‘Jubilate Deo’ would have taken a very long time to learn, is singing at the College's Chapel but due to an increased rate of learning, we managed to services and weekend Mass in learn the song in around two and a half weeks! 2021 was an Fremantle. amazing year, and we have improved so much. I have really enjoyed being a part of the Schola choir this year!

David McFadden, Principal Nathan Veitch - Year 7 Chorister

Aquinas College Schola Cantorum

Newsletter Hugh Lydon Summary of 2021

2021 saw a significant leap forward for the members of the Schola in numerous ways. 2020, was the first time that the choir had any tenors or basses, which enabled us to broaden our repertoire slightly. However, these new pieces tended to still focus on a treble melody, with the lower voices singing basic parts accompanied by organ, which invariably would be playing the same part. Not so in 2021– the difficulty level jumped up a lot, to the point that we are singing pieces taken from the core library of choirs that are well known globally.

This jump in repertoire difficulty has been matched by an increase in performances. Throughout 2021, the Schola sang mass at St Patrick’s Basilica 28 times. In addition, they sang a mass at St Joseph’s Church in Subiaco, joined forces with the choir of John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School to perform Durufle’s Requiem twice, toured the South West singing in three venues, sang more contemporary works with Breaksea @ The Rechabite and teamed up with Australian Baroque to present a concert of choral favourites within the Aquinas Chapel. This is in addition to events such as the New Mother’s Mass and Grandparents Day which occur inside the College Chapel. Excluding the many House Chapel services that the Schola participate in every week, the ensemble performed 48 times throughout 2021.

We finished the year on a high – despite all lessons finishing in early December, the choristers had two more engagements. On December 7th, the choir made their first ever recording, in which they sang two pieces in Noongar language. These pieces will be released onto Spotify and Apple Music in the coming months. They rounded off the year by performing all the sung music at the nationally livestreamed Catholic Mission Christmas service.

For the Schola, the successes achieved in 2021 are the culmination of many hours of hard work from these fine young men, who are ably supported by their families, friends and staff. The Schola is very much a team effort, the sum of its parts. I am sure that the next twelve months will see the choir rise to greater heights still.

This development has allowed us to forge partnerships with major arts organisations in Perth. Last year, four of our boys sang in the West Australian Opera’s production of Pagliacci. This year, we will have no less than nine choristers singing in two different operas – Carmen and Tosca. The Schola will also be performing with WASO twice this year too; Britten’s War Requiem in August and Mahler’s Third Symphony in December.

The boys have always been great ambassadors for Aquinas whenever they perform, be it at St Patrick’s Basilica, on tour to Bunbury Cathedral, or at the weddings of Old Boys. This positive attitude and willingness to adapt under pressure has also seen the boys awarded numerous academic, sporting and character awards, including the Dux of both Year 7 & 8.

Hugh Lydon - Director Aquinas College Schola Choir

Term 1 2022

Reflection from St Patrick's Basilica Fremantle

The Schola Choir started at the Basilica of St Patrick, Fremantle, after the Easter of 2019 at the 6pm Vigil Mass. The choir has grown since then and continue to provide beautiful reflective, religious music in the Basilica. The Schola choir also sing for the annual Madonna of Tindari and the Blessing of the Fleet, Easter, and other important events in the Basilica.

They sing like angels. When I listen to their well-practised liturgical singing, one could feel that they bring the heavenly joy to the earth. Since they started to sing regularly at the Basilica, the community also looks forward to their singing and thus participate well in the celebration of the Mass.

I sincerely wish to thank, David McFadden, the college Principal for choosing the Basilica of St. Patrick for the Schola choir to sing and to help the faithful to participate well during the Mass at the Basilica. Also, I thank Hugh Lydon for his dedicated time with the Schola choir and helping them to achieve their full potentiality in church music.

I wish every success for the Schola choir and wish you a joyous 2022.

Fr. John Sebastian OMI

Aquinas College Schola Cantorum

Newsletter

Reflection

The Schola Choir has been a valuable addition to the Aquinas community. Every week the schola sings at the House chapel services which are held daily Monday to Thursday. They sing like angels and it is always amazing to see the facial expression of other students when they hear them sing.

Students can appreciate how amazing the Schola voices are and has changed the dynamic of chapel considerably.

The Schola students have been outstanding contributors in all areas of the college, including sports, academics and the arts. They have transformed the music and arts program and only after a few years we have seen an incredible increase in standard of music performances. The inclusion of this program has been a major success for the College.

Michael Dempsey Head of Middle School

Schola Tour 2021 – Chris McMillan For the second consecutive year, the Schola journeyed to the South West. The choir’s performances were eagerly awaited by those who heard them perform in the region last year, and highly anticipated by the Busselton parishioners, who missed out last year due to their parish’s COVID restrictions.

In a short space of time, the Schola has cultivated a strong following, with some locals travelling significant distances to hear the boys sing at one or more of their locations. Many of the boys are now coming to terms with the idea of having groupies!

For the staff of the Schola, the tour has two primary aims: To provide the boys with a touring experience in preparation (hopefully!) for more extensive tours in the near future.

To continue to provide high quality Sacred music for Catholic parishes in Western Australia.

The tour’s itinerary is designed to provide the boys with a good balance of work and play. Work came in the form of a concert performance at Bunbury Cathedral and masses at Margaret River and Busselton parishes. Apart from enjoying the free time at our very simple but idyllic campsite, the boys enjoyed their “play” time at Monkey Business, the Wardan Centre, Tas’s bakery and Simmo’s Ice Creamery.

No doubt the highlight of the weekend for many of the boys was their time at Monkey Business, as they challenged themselves to reach new heights on the ropes courses. In many ways, the students’ time here reflects their Schola experience – new challenges, getting out of their comfort zone, and encouraging each other to achieve their goals.

The Wardan Centre was a very different pace to the ropes course, but also provided a valuable learning experience for the boys. Over the last two years, the Schola have gained a great deal from singing local composer Perry Joyce’s paired pieces – Nunc Dimitis and Magnificat. It is wonderful to hear them sing in Noongar language and gain an insight into our Indigenous culture. Through local elder Billy Webb, we learned a little more about the Aboriginal customs and practices of the region.

Term 1 2022

Schola Tour 2021 – Chris McMillan - continued Obviously, the main focus of the trip were our 3 performances, firstly at Bunbury Cathedral on Friday evening, followed by Saturday evening mass at St Thomas More in Margaret River and Sunday morning at Our Lady of the Bay in Busselton. The boys were very well received in all venues. Those who attended were thoroughly appreciative of the music and atmosphere the choir brought to each service. It would be fair to suggest that most parishes would not have an opportunity to have music of such high calibre at their services, and all venues have expressed a keen interest in hosting us again next year.

Overall, the tour was a great success. For many boys, it was their first time staying away from home, but with the support of their peers and guidance from the older students, the new students all overcame their fears and had a great time. There is no doubt that the Schola is comprised of a fine group of boys and young adults. They hold each other to account and challenge themselves to uphold the high standards expected of them. The younger students clearly look towards their older peers for guidance, while the older members of the group take the responsibility of being a role model seriously. For the whole group, spending time away with each other is a great opportunity for the boys to test themselves and to learn to accept each other’s best (and worst) qualities.

Thanks to the many parents who headed south for the weekend and attended the boys’ performances – it must have been tempting at times to head for the wineries, but it was wonderful for the choir to sing for an audience with many familiar faces, and we appreciated your support. We will await further advice on border restrictions before committing to our schedule in 2022, but it is highly likely that we may return to the South West this year and perhaps venture into a new regional area. Stay tuned!

Aquinas College Schola Cantorum

Newsletter

Term 1 2022 William Atkins-Walters February 2021 William performed a vocal solo at PCH with the West Coast Philharmonic Orchestra; Australian premiere of Materna Requiem by Rebecca Dale.

Ollie McKinnon December 2021 Performed a solo with the Perth Symphony Orchestra for some of the "Snowman" concerts

Co-Curricular Activities for Choristers 2021

We love sharing the achievements of our Schola students. If your son performs outside of the College, please email a photo and a short description to Hugh Lydon for us to share with the Aquinas Community

Sebastian Robinson-Cook has had a great year of highland dancing in 2021 winning the Novice Title at WA Championships in March (photo above), moving to Intermediate level in May, with wins and places at Goldfields competition and Armadale Highland Gathering.

Sebastian achieved Honours in his Highland (Fling) exam mid-year. He has performed in exhibitions throughout the year including Royal Scottish Highland Dance Board 70th Anniversary, and St Andrew’s Day, as well as participating in virtual dance clinics with experts/ judges from the US and UK. Interstate and overseas comps were curtailed by COVID, but WA has managed to keep the kids dancing! Sebastian is the only male dancer at his Academy and only one of two boys competing in WA so he is a wonderful ambassador for his Scottish culture and the sport.

Sebastian with his awards in his Highland Dancing Costume

Dashiell van Ingen, Sebastian Robinson-Cook, Luka Patak, Tom O’Neil July 2021 Children’s Chorus with WA Opera; Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliacci. (Photo with Emma Matthews).

Aquinas College Schola Cantorum

Newsletter Parent Reflection

Our introduction to Schola began when my son Dominic was in year 4. I received an email from Chris McMillan advising that Dominic had been invited to participate in a new choir program at Aquinas. I was keen to learn more and attended the information session that Aquinas held. Although my husband and I did not really know what we were in for, we were impressed at the musical repertoire and opportunities Dominic would be exposed to. Opportunities to experience a variety of different sports, skills, subjects etc was one of the key reasons we moved our son to Aquinas.

Dominic had no musical experience prior to joining Aquinas and what he has gained through Schola is difficult to put into words. He has performed not only for the school and for Mass, but he can say he has performed at Perth Concert Hall and various venues with professional musicians including WASO. Additionally, he has just completed his first piano exam and received an A+. This would not have been possible if not for the Schola choir structure of theory, voice training, an additional instrument (piano) and the dedication of Mr Lydon teaching the boys such a high level of music.

Now that Dominic has been in the Schola choir for 3 years I still get asked “What is it like? Does Dominic like doing his singing?

Is it a massive commitment for the family?” And I can honestly answer that yes, it is a big commitment from our family and Dominic. Like anything worthwhile, effort and commitment are vital. As a parent, I wholeheartedly believe the early mornings, extra performances and commitments do not outweigh the positives Dominic receives from being in this choir. As for whether Dominic likes singing in Schola, the answer is yes. I see the silent pride he exudes after a performance and the strong friendships he has formed with fellow members of Schola. I think it is truly special and I do believe that once Dominic becomes an adult and reflects on his time as a Schola boy, he will be grateful that we accepted the offer to be a part of Schola and the impressive list of experiences he has had along the way.

Cherie Lomen - mum of Dominic, Year 7 Chorister

Term 1 2022

Schola 2021 end of Year Wrap Up

As a Year 8 chorister last year, I have experienced all 3 years of the Schola Choir and it is an experience which I will remember and treasure forever. In 2021, we had many exciting opportunities which have brought our skill to the next level, and this is a testament to the hard work of the teachers & adults involved, the boys in the choir, and the supporting families. As a choir, we are involved with music for around 7-10 hours each week, including rehearsals four times before school each week, services at the school’s chapel, singing at Mass each Saturday night in St Patrick's Basilica, and many other events like weddings and funerals. Even though these hours are lengthy and sometimes tiring, the fun and variety of benefits I gain from them are the motivation which keep me coming back. Being a part of the Schola Choir has helped me to grow more confident in myself and who I am, and I have developed better public speaking and confidence skills as a result of this. I have also learnt important teamwork and cooperation skills by working with a diverse group of boys from different ages and backgrounds, giving me insight into many different views. Even through the challenges and long hours which I face as part of the Aquinas College Schola Choir, I understand the great benefit which this opportunity gives me, and have great fun singing with many of my friends everyday. My clear favourite aspect of the Schola Choir last year was the brilliant tour into the southern region of the state, namely Bunbury, Busselton and Margaret River, which brought a fun opportunity to our jampacked year.

Dylan Atkins-Walters - Year 9 Chorister

Aquinas College Schola Cantorum

Newsletter

2021 Schola Choir Performance Dates

Saturday February 6th Basilica Service

Saturday April 3rd Basilica Service – Easter Vigil

Saturday February 13th Basilica Service

Saturday April 24th Wedding of Matthew Noonan-Crowe to Laura Thurston-Moon St Columba’s Catholic Church, South Perth

Saturday February 20th Basilica Service Saturday March 6th Basilica Service Saturday March 13th Basilica Service Friday March 19th New Mother’s Mass Chapel of St Thomas Aquinas Saturday March 20th Basilica Service Sunday March 28th Basilica Service – Palm Sunday 11:00am Wednesday March 31st Grandparents Day Mass Chapel of St Thomas Aquinas

Sunday April 25th Basilica Service – ANZAC Day service Saturday May 1st Basilica Service Saturday May 8th Basilica Service Saturday May 15th Basilica Service Saturday May 22nd Basilica Service Saturday May 29th Basilica Service Thursday June 3rd Schola Concert at Aquinas Chapel

Term 1 2022

2021 Schola Choir Performance Dates Saturday June 12th Basilica Service

Saturday June 26th Basilica Service Saturday July 24th Basilica Service

Tuesday July 27th Catholic Performing Arts Festival St Mary’s Cathedral Saturday July 31st Basilica Service

Saturday August 7th Performance at Rechabite (Northbridge) with Breaksea

Saturday August 14th – Touring service St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco Wednesday August 25th Old Aquinians Mass Saturday August 28th Basilica Service

Saturday September 4th Basilica Service Sunday September 12th Basilica Service

Saturday September 18th Basilica Service

Wednesday October 13th Middle School Music Night Aquinas College Hall Friday October 15th – Sunday October 17th Schola touring southwest region Friday October 22nd Class of 2021 Graduation Mass Sunday October 24th Basilica Service Blessing of the Fishing Fleet Saturday October 30th Basilica Service

Wednesday October 3rd Durufle Requiem at John Septimus Roe Anglican Community School, Mirrabooka Saturday November 6th Basilica Service

Tuesday December 7th Recording session in St Mary's South Perth Friday December 10th Catholic Missions fundraising concert at CEWA

Aquinas College Schola Cantorum

Newsletter

Would you like the Schola to perform at your function?

Did you know the Schola Cantorum are available for weddings, funerals & other functions?

The whole choir or a smaller ensemble could be a special addition to your event.

Contact Hugh Lydon for more details.

Term 1 2022

Upcoming Schola Choir Performance Dates in 2022 9 students singing Tosca as part of the West Australian Opera.

Hugh Lydon is the children's Chorus Master, 14, 16, 19, 21 & 23 July 2022 His Majesty's Theatre 7.30pm Book tickets here 19th & 20th August 2022 Britten's War Requiem with West Australian Symphony Orchestra Perth Concert Hall 7.30pm Book tickets here 2nd & 3rd December 2022 Mahler's Third Symphony with West Australian Symphony Orchestra Perth Concert Hall 7.30pm Book tickets here