Triumph for Stage Band

At the Victorian All-State Jazz Championships

On Sunday 2 May, the Loreto Toorak Stage Band took part in the Victorian All-State Jazz Championships (ASJC), a festival for secondary school stage bands and jazz choirs that was established by The Cat Empire trumpeter and international jazz artist Ross Irwin to fill the void left by the cancellation of the Generations in Jazz (GIJ) Festival in Mt Gambier due to Covid restrictions. Held at St Leonard’s College Brighton campus, the festival was very well attended, with many Victorian schools who are regular participants at GIJ jumping at the opportunity to perform again in such a vibrant and exciting environment.

The students were competing against Victoria’s top secondary school Stage Bands, and played brilliantly, achieving First Place in Division C.1. The adjudicators, well-known Australian jazz saxophonist Carl Mackey and drummer Tony Floyd, were full of praise for their performance, awarding them Best Saxophone Section, Best Trombone Section and Best Rhythm Section, the latter accompanied by a significant prize from D’Addario Australia. In addition, the following girls were selected for the Superband in this division, an all-star group of twenty performers, chosen from all of the competing bands: Lucy Tuckwell (alto saxophone); Francesca Apolloni (trumpet); Sofia Perica (trombone); Elena Chiam (bass); and Amy Bourbon (drums).

As division winners, the Stage Band was invited to perform at a Gala Concert the following Saturday 8 May, again at St Leonard’s, in the magnificent Leonardian Centre. This concert featured all of the vocal and stage band division winners, and also performances by the stunning vocal group - and adjudicators - The Idea of North, and an all-star band lead by Ross Irwin. This group featured the band adjudicators and other leading Australian jazz artists. This was an absolute highlight for the group who have worked tirelessly this year, after twelve months of no performances and no live playing of brass and woodwind instruments on campus due to COVID restrictions. These events were a joyous celebration of live music-making, and a reminder of how important the creative arts are to the human spirit.

MS SONJA HORBELT - HEAD OF CONTEMPORARY MUSIC STUDIES