Instrumental Music Concerts and Events

Written by Sophie Dunn

This semester has seen a busy calendar of events for the Instrumental Music department. Alongside our core range of instrumental soirees, senior ensembles held concerts for local primary schools, with over 350 students attending. This was a great opportunity for future UHS students to become acquainted with the school and experience the diverse range of instrumental ensembles on offer. Smaller ensembles have also performed at library lunchtime concerts, with students listening attentively to their friends and fellow musicians.

The String department held two Interschool String Days, with Brunswick Secondary students attending UHS for a full day of intermediate orchestral and sectional tutorials, led by our team of string specialists. Training Strings students went to Canterbury Girls Secondary College to participate in rehearsals and watch Canterbury GSC string students perform.

Oboe teacher Martin Lee took students to McKinnon Secondary College to attend a masterclass with former principal oboe of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Diana Doherty, and collaborate in performances. Senior string and VCE Music Inquiry students saw the Flinders Quartet perform, then participated in a Q & A session with Zoe Knighton and former MSO concertmaster Wilma Smith.

The recent Instrumental Music Concert showcased the talent and diversity of the IM program, ranging from junior groups performing on stage for the first time, to senior and student-led ensembles presenting high-quality performances of a wide array of styles and instrumentation.

Thanks to Katie Pryce and the IM team for their work bringing together a range of performances, local community engagement and diverse educational experiences for UHS students.