Success Stories
IDENTICAL TWINS, IDENTICAL SCORES
It's so amazing, you'd think we made it up! Keira and Shanae Blizzard both received a perfect score of 50 in VET Music! The girls credit hard work, school/life balance and a passion for music for their success. This is also a great achievement for their teacher Mr Nick Tresize. Congratulations everyone! This unusual success story appeared in the local and national press. Links to stories below.
https://maribyrnonghobsonsbay.starweekly.com.au/news/identical-twins-get-identical-subject-score/
OPERA MEZZO-SOPRANO
Emilie Washington began her operatic career after she was selected to be in the Victorian Opera Youth Chorus Ensemble (VOYCE). Her debut performance as a professional opera singer took place in 2017, where she was selected to perform the role of a snail and fox cub in the Victorian Opera’s production ‘The Cunning Little Vixen’. Following this, she has performed in the Victorian Opera’s productions of ‘The Second Hurricane’, ‘The Magic Pudding’, ‘Parsifal’, ‘Il Mago di Oz’. and Tessa in Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Victoria’s production of ‘The Gondoliers’. Emilie performs annually for community events including Christmas at the Lakes, the Laverton Festival, and Citizenship Ceremonies. Emilie was offered a placement in the Berlin Opera Academy's 2023 Summer Festival Singers Program, where she performed the role of Dritte Knabe from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte, and undertook a Study Role as Composer from Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos.
VCE PREMIER AWARDS 2020
PIANO EXAMS EXCELLENCE
Congratulations to our 2021 Music Scholarship recipient Olivia Massarany who recently received a high distinction in her AMEB piano exam. Olivia has a cochlear ear implant and her musical talent and determination is inspiring. We are so very proud of you Olivia!
AN INSPIRATIONAL DRAMA STUDENT
Taj Aldeeb (Class of 2016) performed at the Fairfax theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne in 2021, in 'THEM', a play based on the real life stories of people displaced by conflict.
Taj fled Syria with her family, settled in Melbourne and attended MSJ with her two sisters. Another accolade for a high achiever, Taj has since been awarded the Young Leader Award by the Multicultural Commission of Victoria. Congratulations Taj! You can read about her win HERE
STARRING ON THE LONDON STAGE
Trudi Camilleri is a former MSJ student and who, for a time after graduating, also taught singing lessons at MSJ. Trudi trained in opera at The Victorian College of the Arts before moving to London to pursue her career. She began her music career at the Melbourne International Festival in the Australian premiere of English Eccentrics. Operatic roles that followed included the titular roles in Suor Angelica and Madam Butterfly, Mimi (La Boheme), Sieglinde (Die Walkure), and Dame Nellie Melba (Remembering Melba). Trudi's musical theatre roles include Anna Edson Taylor (European Premiere of Queen of the Mist) Featured ensemble/Cover Queen Elizabeth I (The Pirate Queen) Cora (UK premiere of Death Takes A Holiday), Mother (Ragtime), Mrs Fox (Dad's Army - What a Song and Dance), Astrologer (Sunset Boulevard) and Ida (Honk). Trudi has been heard on radio and television providing the vocal soundtracks for advertisements and worked with metal artist EFA on her single 'Nunnery' and the writers DeLise/Johnson on a song for the Eurovision Song Contest. Trudi also performs cabaret with The Diva List and had her own one-woman sell out show, ‘A Little bit of TLC’ at Jermyn St Theatre (London). Trudi has also appeared in several television commercials, including this one (below) for Amazon's Alexia that screened in homes across Europe and the US and Canada. Trudi returned to Australia in 2021, and in 2023 joined the staff at MSJ as Performing Arts and Music Coordinator.