‘If the Symphony Orchestra and Concert Band are the showpieces of the College instrumental programme then the Chamber Ensembles are the ‘engine room.’ Relying on a high level of musical communication and intense preparation, there is nowhere for the chamber musician to hide.’' - Mr Ross Gerritsen

In preparation for the Auckland division of the Chamber Music Contest this coming Friday (6 June), our Chamber Groups were joined by the College Jazz Band last night for a concert in Elliot Hall to showcase their talents. This was a prime opportunity for the competition groups to perform to an audience and dispel any nerves prior to playing for a panel of judges on Friday!

Chamber ensembles generally comprise between three to eight musicians and are not conducted. With no conductor to set the pace, the onus is on the students to not only play their part but also to integrate seamlessly with the rest of their ensemble to keep the rhythm and tempo. This takes some practice and is a challenge in the early stages!  

The College has a strong chamber music programme, under the direction of Mr Oliver Gilmour, with a diverse repertoire on a wide range of instruments – some not generally associated with the term ‘chamber music’  such as our brass ensemble. This is largely due to the great number of talented itinerant music staff who work closely with the students within their own area of expertise.

From Beethoven to the ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ from a string duo to an octet of big brass, and from our younger musicians just starting competition play to our accomplished seniors, there was something for everyone to enjoy last night. We now wish the selected groups all the best for their competition later this week!

Finally our thanks to those who donated so generously to the collection to raise funds to donate guitars to Erakor Bilingual School in Vanuatu when some of our students take part in the Service to Vanuatu trip later in the year.

Session times for our competing groups on Friday 6 June 2014.

Venue:

Ray Freedman Theatre, Epsom Girls’ Grammar School, Epsom

Times:

9:00am - 10.15am         Trilogy, Let’s Be Frank, Lotsaflutes, Sax Ensemble

1:00pm - 2.45pm           Tartan Trio

5:00pm - 6.30pm           Heavy Metal

Trilogy:
Crystal Sun, Iris Lee, Emily Young

Let’s Be Frank:
William Xu, Dylan Chen, Joshua Pan

Lotsaflutes:

Elise Hinomoto, Eilidh McGregor, Claire Gellert, Olivia Hofer, Mackenzie Cooper, Deborah So, Libby Lightfoot

Sax Ensemble:
James Milner, Josh Looker, Has Brooke, Samantha Wing, Max Christie

Tartan Trio:
Ryan Tourani-Rad, Freddie Jiang, Jason Seto

Heavy Metal:

Luke De Freyne, Thomas Scott, Jack Stewart, Georgia Clapp, Rachel Smith, Nicholas Scott, Rupert Gates, Nikolai Siimes

Our sincere thanks…

…. to all of the tutors who have worked with the students to prepare for last night’s concert and the upcoming competition:

Mr Kristian Holmes, Mrs Karen Middleton, Ms Miranda Hutton, Mrs Siobhan Gerritsen, Miss Gracie Francis, Mr Matthew Baker, Mrs Katherine Uren and Mr Ross Gerritsen.

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