Music Festivals | HICES (Years 7 to 12) and IPSHA (Year 3 to 6)
This past fortnight has been an exciting and enriching time for our students, as they participated in the 2023 HICES and IPSHA Music Festivals. Over sixty IGS Musicians represented our School at the recent HICES and IPSHA Music events, with these two separate festivals culminating in magnificent concerts at Sydney Town Hall; a fitting venue that provided a sense of grandeur for these showcases of learning.
“Events such as these, serve as a reminder of the learning and joy that can come through collaboration, creativity, commitment and hard work”.
Students performed as part of Choirs, Orchestra, Concert Bands and all gathered together to present a combined school massed performance to collectively celebrate all their musical achievements. This experience has been inspiring for many of our students who are key musicians within our Music Ensembles Program.
Music Ensembles Concert
Last Wednesday evening, the Music Department presented Sonic Energy in the IGS Hall, in celebration of the wonderful work of many IGS Music Groups and Ensembles. Thanks is extended to all the Music Staff involved in the concert, in leading and supporting performances from Rock Bands, Jazz Bands, Choirs, Percussion Ensembles, Concert Bands and Orchestras. The program of repertoire was certainly rich and varied, and featured many of our new enrichment ensembles that were introduced this year.
The Music Community thoroughly enjoyed this concert and were also tremendous participants in the audience participation section of the program, demonstrating their diverse skills in body percussion and singing. We are grateful to all staff for their ongoing commitment to these enrichment programs here at IGS, under the exceptional leadership and direction of Head of Music Performance, Mr Primrose-Heaney.
HSC Music Showcase
On Monday evening, the Year 12 Cohort of Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension students presented an outstanding program of repertoire, original compositions and musicological discussions at the 2023 HSC Music Showcase. This event was held in the recently refurbished Music Performance Space on Level 3 of the Kelly Street Building, a beautiful new platform for the creation of live music, allowing our IGS musicians to excel and reach for their very best.
With a diverse program of repertoire including Pop, Rock, Musical Theatre, Australian Music, Indie Rock and many other eclectic styles, the evening was a wonderful reflection of the students’ individual aspirations and achievements, as they shared their music with peers, staff and members of their families. We wish our Year 12 HSC Musicians all the very best as they embark on the final journey ahead of the NESA Practical Examinations this coming Wednesday 6 September (Music 1) and Friday 8 September (Music 2).
Jazz For Young People
This week, Years 9 to 10 Music Elective students, attended an enrichment excursion at the Sydney Opera House to attend the Jazz For Young People collaborative concert featuring Wynton Marsalis’ Jazz at The Lincoln Centre Orchestra, in collaboration with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
This opportunity, a Sydney first, allowed the students to listen to some of the world’s most respected and reputable jazz musicians. Linked directly to the students of Jazz Music in Stage 5, this concert illustrates the fundamentals of Jazz. Through the narrated program, students experienced a high energy interactive concert designed specifically for music students, by listening to experts’ perspectives and insights, into the historical and cultural origins of one the world’s greatest art forms.
It certainly was exciting to witness some of the most high-profile and in-demand Jazz musicians in the world share their extraordinary talent with Australian students.