The Arts

CLASSICS IN THE CATHEDRAL

Beneath the lofty ceilings and towering columns of St John’s Cathedral, the audience at last June’s Classics in the Cathedral concert enjoyed student orchestral, ensemble and vocal performances from composers ranging from Mozart to Chopin. Head of Performance Brad King said this much-loved annual event broadened students’ performance experiences, giving them the opportunity to learn classical repertoire and perform within the spectacular setting of St John’s Cathedral. ‘One of the joys of performing in the cathedral is the ability to explore the unique properties of the acoustics within the space. St John’s has one of the longest reverb times for a cathedral in the southern hemisphere, with delays in sound of approximately seven seconds. The acoustic, therefore, can be both exciting and challenging for musicians. The soundscape created is certainly something that is unique and special for our students to experience,’ Mr King said. Performances ranged from the triumphant To Dance Among the Stars, the moody Days of Beauty, a dazzling strings rendition of Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky to a performance of Mozart’s Divertimento in F Major. Each year, an Old Girl is invited to perform. In 2021, the school was honoured to welcome mezzo soprano Xenia Puskarz-Thomas (’13) prior to her leaving Australian shores to resume her studies in person at Julliard’s in New York. Xenia gave a magical performance of Morgen! by Richard Strauss, accompanied by Jonny Ng on piano with music extension student Ashleigh Witenden on violin. She also performed the classic operatic aria O mio babbino caro from Gianna Schicchi. All student performers combined for the evening’s finale performance of Tintinnabulum by Welsh composer Karl Jenkins.

When participating in the school’s music program, students do more than make music. They develop their creativity, teamwork and critical thinking skills, which transfer into other areas of schooling and life.

VISUAL ARTS

The Queensland Government’s Creative Generation Excellence Awards in Visual Art recognise and promote excellence in senior visual art education throughout Queensland state and non-state schools. Congratulations to 2021 alumni Grace Nankivell and Isabella Shepherd who were each awarded a Commendation for their artworks – an extraordinary achievement given 500 artwork submissions were received.

The 2021 Senior Visual Art Showcase was an opportunity to showcase the work of our Senior Visual Art students in Years 11 and 12 for the second consecutive year. It was a wonderful evening of celebrating the accomplishments of these students and exhibiting their creations in the Arts Centre gallery.

OPEN MIC SESSIONS

A new and popular innovation to come out of the music department in 2021 was the introduction of Open Mic sessions held during lunchtimes in the Barley Sugar Garden. Initiated by Head of Music Brad King and driven by the Music Captains, three Open Mic events were held throughout the year for secondary students to perform cover songs or original compositions. The Open Mic sessions had the Barley Sugar Garden buzzing with hundreds of students in attendance at each session.

Mr King said: ‘These sessions are a fantastic casual opportunity for students who might want to try out a piece of music they have written or share a performance they feel would connect with others without the pressures that sometimes exist in a formal performance environment. We are hoping to grow the initiative this year, expanding to at least one event per term.’

SOARING UPWARDS MUSIC FESTIVAL

Last year’s 2021 Soaring Upwards Musical Festival – an event created in response to 2020 COVID restrictions – was, somewhat ironically, unable to proceed as a result of a snap lockdown on the morning of the original performance date. However, like so many events over the past two years, the school has found ways for the show to go on and, in Term 4, the festival was reimagined to become a performance to the primary and secondary school student community. In an uplifting afternoon of musical celebration, students enjoyed this chance to showcase their talents in front of a most appreciative and enthusiastic audience.

ARTS SPECTACULAR

The Years 5 and 6 Arts Spectacular is often nominated as the favourite event in a St Margaret’s primary school student’s journey. Reimagined once more to deal with restrictions in October last year, it became an outdoor theatre-in-the-round performance. As the sun went down, goblins, space walkers, steam punkers and angels took their places on Circular Drive and on a specially erected stage, donning their spellbinding wearable art creations, depicting the ‘Other Worlds’ theme. They gave two performances, enabling all parents in Years 5 and 6 to enjoy the event while seated on their socially distanced rugs on the lawn. Head of Primary Mrs Angela Drysdale said: ‘Arts Spectacular is a culmination of cultural learning experiences with the students sharing their artistic and musical talents.’