Music

Musician of the Year

The 2019 Musician of the Year was once again a fabulous night showcasing the very talented music students of Castlemaine Secondary College. The 8 competitors were:

Beatrix Dimsey                                       Violin

Hayden Dally                                           Guitar

Alex Marney                                             Violin

 Alfie Pleasance                                       Tenor Saxophone

Anais Kerr                                                 Violin

Bridie Edgar                                             Flute

Ezra Demchy                                            Viola

Scarlet Boyack                                        Cello

The students were playing in hope of winning one of the three prizes-1st Prize $150, 2nd and 3rd prizes of $100 each plus certificates and medals.

The adjudicator for the evening was Dr Dan Bendrups. Dan Bendrups is a brass performance specialist and music academic with a long track record of contributions to music education at all levels across Australia and New Zealand. Freelance performance credits include vintage rockers The Thunderbirds and The Verlaines, as well as work with the New Zealand Ballet and the Southern Sinfonia. He produced and performed on three albums as a member of jazz-fusion ensemble Subject2Change. Dan was convenor of brass and wind performance at the University of Otago and Deputy Director (Research) at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University. He has also authored/edited four books and over 50 other academic papers on aspects of music performance, heritage, health and wellbeing. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Research Education and Development at La Trobe University, Bendigo.

Strings 

CSC string ensemble performed at Castlemaine South Primary School on Thursday 7th November. The primary students were treated to a range of works including Russian folk songs, "Past Life Melodies", by contemporary Australian composer Sarah Hopkins, and pieces from the film scores from Chocolat and The Man from Snowy River. CSC students led some audience participation exercises, spoke eloquently about the pieces and answered questions from the students with insight and sensitivity. We presented two sessions, to junior and senior grades, which allowed for lots of great discussions.

Well done, CSC String Ensemble!

- Heather Cummins and Libby Anderson, string teachers

Singing Recital