With thanks to Acting Head of Music, Mr Oliver Gilmour 

This year, the College’s Large Ensemble Showcase returned to Elliot Hall following a number of years at the Vodafone Events Centre, for what was an exceptional evening of music, showcasing the groups that will be representing the College at next week’s KBB Music Festival. 

In 2018, the College has seven ensembles competing in this annual Auckland region music competition. The four premier groups, the Concert Band, Big Band, Chamber Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra, along with three development ensembles, the String Ensemble, Wind Band and Stage Band will all take their turn in front of the judges at Holy Trinity Cathedral and St Mary’s Church. 

The Concert Band, under the baton of Mr Ross Gerritsen, opened the programme with Samuel R Hazo’s exceptional ‘Arabesque’, a piece which draws on the mystical sounds of Middle Eastern music and is composed in three parts - ‘Taqasim’ (tah’-zeem), ‘dabka’ (dupp-keh) and ‘chorale.’ The exquisite opening flute cadenza, played by Catherine Chang, set the tone for the evening. The Band’s second piece was its major work, ‘The Saint and The City’ by European composer, Jacob De Haan. The exceptional brass section headlined the work which is loosely based on the Hymn ‘Laudate Dominum.’ 

The Chamber Orchestra, directed by Mr Lachlan Craig, performed Stravinsky’s ‘Pulcinella Overture’, ‘October’ by the celebrated composer Eric Whitacre and ‘Banks of Green Willow’ by George Butterworth. 

The String Ensemble is a new ensemble this year to cater for our younger string players. This development group was a pleasure to listen to and we enjoyed their performance of some well-known string ensemble repertoire. ‘Three Bach Chorales’, ‘Finlandia’ by Sibelius, ‘Appalachian Celebration’ by Gary Fagan and Tchaikovsky’s ‘Finale from Serenade for Strings’ completed their performance. 

This year, Mr Oliver Gilmour’s Sinfonia was replaced by the Saint Kentigern Wind Band. As another development group, this ensemble is now able to perform concert band repertoire and the students enjoyed presenting ‘Colonel Bogey’s March’ by Alford, ‘Instant Concert’ by Harold Walters, Mancini’s ‘Baby Elephant Walk’ and the well-known tune, ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams. 

The second half of the showcase began with the Saint Kentigern Stage Band directed by Mr Paul Norman. This is another development group, this time for young jazz musicians. Duke Ellington’s ‘It Don’t Mean A Thing’ and ‘Satin Doll’ provided a strong start and this was followed by convincing performances of ‘Mambo’ by Lou Bega and Jimmy Forest’s ‘Night Train’. 

Our more advanced jazz players have performed with the Big Band this year. This ensemble, also directed by Mr Norman, presented ‘Who’s Sorry Now’ by Ted Snyder, Jobim’s ‘Desafinado’ and the famous ‘Take The A Train’ by Duke Ellington. 

The College’s Symphony Orchestra, directed by Mr Doug Cross, provided an excellent conclusion to the evening with Prokofiev’’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’. 

The evening concluded with Senior College Principal, Mrs Suzanne Winthrop acknowledging the enormous contribution that Mr Ross Gerritsen has made to Saint Kentigern as he finishes his tenure as Head of Music. The Music Department has flourished in recent years and we thank him for his leadership. 

KBB MUSIC FESTIVAL
Parents and family members are very welcome to be part of the audience for the KBB Music Festival next week – our students would love your support! 

The KBB Festival dates/times are as follows:

Tuesday 7 August
2pm – String Ensemble - St Mary’s Church
4pm – Chamber Orchestra - St Mary’s Church
7.30pm – Symphony Orchestra - Holy Trinity Cathedral

Wednesday 8 August    
2pm – Wind Band - Holy Trinity Cathedral
4.30pm – Concert Band - Holy Trinity Cathedral
7pm – Stage Band - St Mary’s Church
9pm – Big Band - St Mary’s Church

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