The College recently hosted a Saint Kentigern-wide Strings Collaboration, bringing together the string ensembles from the College, Girls' School, and Boys' School. The day began with a group practice session, followed by sectional rehearsals where students split into 1st violins, 2nd and 3rd violins with violas, and cellos and basses. Each section worked with itinerant tutors to refine their skills before reconvening for a final practice and performance.
This event provided an excellent opportunity for young string players to engage with peers of similar skill levels and experience the joy of playing in a large ensemble of over 100 musicians. The students showcased their talents in a performance for select College classes.
The College MacFarlan Strings performed a selection of their pieces first, some of which will feature in the KBB Music Festival in Term 3. They played The Wild Western Frontier by Soon Hee Newbold, Spring Breezes arranged by Richard Meyer (featuring soloists Claire Liu, Darren Li, and Aaron Zhou), and Dance of the Tumblers by Rimsky-Korsakov, arranged by Sandra Dackow.
The Boys' School Strings then presented Overture and Hobbits (1 and 3 from the Lord of the Rings Suite) led by Head of Boys’ School Music, Georgina Jarvis.
The grand finale featured a combined ensemble of over 100 string players from all three schools, performing Finale from Serenade for Strings by Tchaikovsky, arranged by Carrie Lane Gruselle, Andante from the Surprise Symphony by Haydn, arranged by Terry Catherine, and the well-known Avengers by Alan Silvestri, arranged by Larry Moore
The day was expertly led by violinist and conductor Miranda Hutton with support from Georgina Jarvis (Boys' School) and Anji Toy (Girls' School). Section leads from the College included Carina Goebel, Kevin Taylor and Head of Performing Arts Sara Standring. Thank you to the staff for a combined effort in providing this incredible opportunity to our young musicians.
