Music Notes

Kurt Abell, Head of Instrumental Music 

Kilvington Concert Band wins Gold - Victorian School Music Festival

Following their spectacular performance at our Annual Concert, the Kilvington Concert Band attended the Victorian School Music Festival at the Hawthorn Arts Centre on Tuesday, 26 August.

This annual festival provides an incredible opportunity for school bands to perform, receive expert feedback and work with specialist international music educators.

We are thrilled that the band received a Gold Award from the Chief Adjudicator Dr Sarah McKoin, Director of Bands and Professor of Conducting at Texas Tech University.

This was the band’s first time participating in this festival, and we congratulate the students on their outstanding achievement!

Strings Concert

On Wednesday 3 September, the Sports Centre came alive with music for our annual Strings Concert. 

This fantastic event showcased the incredible talent of our students, featuring the Suzuki Intermezzo Strings, Cello Ensemble, Junior Strings, Celtic Band, and Chamber Strings, as well as a special collaboration between the Klefs Choir and Junior Strings. We were also treated to performances from seventeen soloists, representing year levels all the way from ELC to Year 12.

A huge thank you to our dedicated strings team, and congratulations to all our performers!

VCE Music Repertoire Masterclasses

Nicole Bull, Head of Performing Arts and VCE Music Teacher

Over the past two weeks, our VCE Unit 4 Music Performance students have had the incredible opportunity to work with distinguished music professionals across their respective instruments. 

With external VCE performance exams approaching, these masterclasses have been invaluable in helping students assess their strengths and challenges, refine their goals and deliver confident, polished recitals.

Students have had the privilege of workshopping their performances with esteemed industry figures, including:

• Adrian Tamburini – opera singer, concert performer, music educator, director and producer, recently seen as Hades in the Australian premiere of Hadestown.
• Leigh Harrold – one of Australia’s most active and highly regarded pianists, with extensive international performance experience as both a soloist and chamber musician.
• John Quaine – string specialist with over 40 years of experience as a performer, conductor, educator and AMEB examiner.
• Benjamin Dix – Melbourne-based guitarist, member of the Melbourne Guitar Quartet, and frequent adjudicator and masterclass host.
• Mirko Guerrini – Florence-born musician trained in piano, saxophone, classical composition and jazz, currently leading the Mirko Guerrini Horizontal Quartet and co-leading the acclaimed band Torrio.

We extend our best wishes to all VCE Unit 4 Music students for their upcoming exams. Additionally, for those interested, students will be performing their recital on Wednesday evening, 17 September, commencing at 6.00pm in PVC7.

Melbourne Youth Orchestra 2026 Summer School

Join over 800 young musicians for an inspirational week of musical discoveries, engaging workshops and performances with the Melbourne Youth Orchestra (MYO). 

Applications are now open for the 2026 MYO Summer School, to be held from Monday 12 to Saturday 17 January 2026. More information can be found here: Summer School - Melbourne Youth Orchestras.

Geelong Summer Music Camp - Jan 11 -16, 2026

Registrations are now open for the January 2026 Geelong Summer Music Camp (GSMC). This inclusive day camp offers students the chance to participate in a concert band or string orchestra, or to sing in a choir throughout the week, culminating in a finale concert at Costa Hall.

Early bird discounts are available until October 9. More information can be found here: Geelong Summer Music Camp.

Diary dates - Term 3