Performing Arts and Languages News

Music

Junior School Singers

Mrs Mary Heferen-Faulkner 

Our Junior School choirs have been busy this term with the Year 4 Choir competing in the Hobart Eisteddfod and being awarded a Merit Certificate, and the Year 5 choir rehearsing for the upcoming Festival of Voices. 

The Festival of Voices is held annually in Hobart, featuring adult and school-age choirs from around the state, as well as interstate, performing for the sheer joy of singing. 

Our Year 5 choir will be performing with other school choirs at the Hobart City Hall on Wednesday 2 July. Tickets to see the students in concert can be purchased here. 

Singing is a normal but powerful way to express yourself, as well as developing cognitive, language, and memory skills.  

Above: photo of the Year 4 choir on the steps of the Hobart Town Hall after eisteddfod performance. 

Drama 

Devil in the Detail   

Congratulations to our Drama 3 students and teacher, Ms Sally Lewry, on their outstanding performance of Devil’s in the Detail last week. This original Verbatim Documentary Theatre piece tackled the hotly debated Macquarie Point stadium development, drawing on real interviews with community members and key people. 

Amazing work by senior students Phoebe Wiss, Amber King, Alice Lennon, Remi Luttrell and Sam Subramanian Sreenivasan who stepped into multiple creative roles, becoming researchers, editors, writers, devisers and performers. A big thank you to talented music student and cellist Arabella Butterworth-Barry, and tech-savvy fellow student, Sarah Thomas, who operated the audio-visual elements of the production.

The students delivered a sharp, insightful, and often humorous production that captured the complexity of the issue. They impressed not only peers and staff but also special guests in the audience, including alumna and Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra CEO Caroline Sharpen OAM, and members of the No Stadium campaign. 

Through their roles as both creators and performers, the students demonstrated critical thinking, empathy, and a deep sense of civic engagement. We’re proud of the professionalism and passion they brought to the stage, and the way they gave voice to a real local conversation. 

Languages

Welcome to our Italian Exchange Students 

We’re delighted to welcome four Italian exchange students, Sveva, Linda, Laura, and Pietro, to St Mary’s College as part of a 6-week hosting program. Hosted by four of our students, they have settled seamlessly into school life and have spent the week actively engaging with our Year 7 and 8 Italian classes, alongside Giulia, who arrived earlier this term. 

This cultural exchange provides a unique opportunity for language immersion, global perspective, and lifelong friendships. By learning with and from each other, both our students and the visiting group deepen their understanding of Italian language and culture in real-world, personal ways. 

Later this year, our students will travel to Italy in late November to complete the second part of the exchange and create lasting connections. 

Photo from Year 8 class with the Italian students