Melbourne Recital Centre Excursion

On Tuesday the 19th of March, a few of our senior students accompanied by staff ventured to an excursion at the Melbourne Recital Centre to see a relaxed performance from Nat Bartsch. 

Nat Bartsch is a twice ARIA-nominated Australian pianist and composer known for her ethereal, meditative, and lyrical music. Her music deftly walks across a spectrum from neoclassical to jazz, also dipping into the worlds of chamber music, children’s music, and post-rock. 

The relaxed performances at the Melbourne recital centre are quickly becoming a great excursion for some of our music loving students. The relaxed performance program specifically suited for audiences with sensory sensitivities, using altered lighting, more in-depth musical explanations, and accompanying access resources. Along with these adaptations, the staff within the venue are welcoming and ready to assist at moment’s notice. 

 Our excursion started just after recess with a bus trip to the city, an exciting experience for some! Steven loved the drive, with a smile from ear to ear from the freeway until we got to the venue. Steven loved the bumpy road and the vibrations when we went a bit faster on the freeway. When we got into the city, we drove past a few football club venues and a bit of healthy banter around whether Collingwood or Richmond were better. I don’t think we were able to come to a conclusion, but since I’m writing this…Go Pies!

Once we arrived at the venue we waited in the foyer in a specific relaxed area with couches, cushions, and sensory equipment. We were greeted on entrance to the venue by the lovely staff who guided us to our seating area. As described by Mark, the performance was relaxing. Nat Bartsch played a collection of pieces on piano, most of her repertoire on the day were lullabies. These lullabies had Ryan, Troy and Ash trying to keep each other awake! Ryan was interested in chatting about what the names of the songs were and if he had heard them before, but he hadn’t heard any of them before! Steven continued to have a blast after the bumpy bus trip, vocalising and singing along to Nat’s piano pieces. Livian thought the music and the sound of the songs were interesting but seemed to have the most fun watching the students from the other schools running around the room causing a little bit of mischief and enjoying the performance in their own way! 

Overall, a great excursion the recital centre and hopefully the first of many this year!