Piano & Soloists Competition
Last week, students across all campuses descended on Buckley Hall to compete in our annual Piano and Soloists Competition. This event is open to students from our Early Learning Centre through to Year 12 and highlights the incredible talents of music students and helps them gain confidence in their performance style, supported by their teachers, friends and family. Organiser Ms Rachel Burke commented on the exceptional musicality and expressiveness of the performances this year.
We were very fortunate to have the competition adjudicated on the night by the esteemed Robert Burke, Associate Professor and Coordinator of Jazz and Popular Studies at Monash University.
Year 10 Plenty student, Christian Ewings, took out first place in the Senior Performer category which is an incredible achievement as one of the youngest in a very competitive and highly skilled category.
The full list of winners and performers can be found here and below is a reflection by Year 7 student Kate Hamilton, who won first place in the Intermediate Performer category.
From Kate: “I really enjoyed watching all of the young musicians challenging themselves and playing their best. I am so happy and grateful that I had the opportunity to compete in the piano and soloists competition as it helped me gain confidence and push myself beyond my limits. It was a great experience to perform a piece I have worked on for so long and receive positive feedback from a very talented adjudicator Professor Robert Burke, the Coordinator of Jazz and Popular Studies at Monash University. Before my performance, I felt quite nervous but I understood that this wasn’t a bad thing because it would help me perform at my best. I honestly was not expecting to win first place in my category as everyone had played brilliantly. The piece that I chose to perform was Durand, valse no.1, Op. 83 which took a lot of dedication and time to master. I am so glad the adjudicator liked my performance. It was interesting to listen to the interpretation of the music change as each of the different year levels played. There was a whole range of music styles and feelings generated ranging from the sweet sounds of the Little Stars to the more sophisticated tones of the senior students. I really appreciate that Ivanhoe Grammar gives students opportunities like this to showcase their talents and to gain performing experience. I hope I can compete next year. This was a wonderful experience. “
,,
