Anglican Schools Music Festival

MS SHANNON TOBIN

The Anglican Schools Music Festival is a biennial celebration of the music talent from Anglican Schools across the South-East Queensland, Hervey Bay and Toowoomba regions which culminates with a concert in the Concert Hall at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre. On Friday 12 August, 30 St Aidan’s students joined with 250 other secondary students to form a choir, concert band and string ensemble. This was an exciting occasion for all involved as there were very few students who remembered the last festival which was held four years ago due to the 2020 cancellation from COVID.

With only one pre-rehearsal day, the students were guided through a day of rehearsals with guest conductors. They worked with Dr. Rob McWilliams, Ms Sandra Milliken and Ms Loreta Fin all of whom travel extensively as composers and musical educators both within Australia and overseas. Each ensemble rehearsed tirelessly collaborating, stretching their abilities, creating new sound scapes and most of all forming new friendships.

After a long day of rehearsals, each ensemble then performed four separate pieces of music for 1000 people in the Concert Hall. Special congratulations must go to Rachael McFarlane, Jojo Yuen, Claire Lau and Brenda Lee who led their section of the ensemble or were featured in solos at the concert. All students at the festival showed their passion and love for music which was evident by the sheer amount of music played and high standard of performances on the night.

One final element of the festival is the experience of performing a world premiere written and conducted by a living composer as the last part of the concert combining all three ensembles together. This year, Paul Jarmin was the composer chosen and he wrote a programmatic piece about The ‘Stinson’ Aircraft disappearance between Sydney and Brisbane in 1937. It was an amazing piece of music and to hear 280 school students perform this as a world premier was a highlight of the evening.

Congratulations to all of our students who represented St Aidan’s at this year’s festival.