Music Notes

Nicole Bull, Academic Dean of Performing Arts 

Spotlight on music staff - Caitlin Bass (Double Bass teacher)

We would like to introduce to you Ms Caitlin Bass (Double Bass tutor) from our Music Department. Caitlin teaches students from primary to secondary years and also performs/assist with the Senior Orchestra, Chamber Strings and the Year 2 String program.  

After completing her Bachelor of Music (Honours) at WAAPA and a Graduate Certificate in Orchestral Performance from the University of Tasmania in 2011, Caitlin moved to Vienna to study a Master’s degree in orchestral double bass, which she completed in 2017.  

While living in Vienna, she worked with highly prestigious orchestras including the Vienna Volksoper, Vienna Chamber Opera, Hamburg Ballet, Norwegian National Ballet, and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra.  

Her role with the Vienna Chamber Orchestra included touring Germany, France, Turkey, the Canary Islands and Taiwan, occasionally in the position of Principal or Associate Principal Double Bass. 

Caitlin also worked as a session musician at the Synchrony Stage and appeared on many film and TV soundtracks including The Crown, Blue Planet II, Dan Brown’s Inferno, Pacific Rim: Uprising and The Meg. 

Upon invitation, Caitlin returned to Australia to work extensively in the role of Associate Principal Double Bass with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in 2018, and since 2019 she has worked on a casual basis with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Victoria, the Australian Ballet and Opera Australia. 

In 2019, Caitlin was also invited to work as a fixed substitute with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the esteemed Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Outside the orchestral sphere, Caitlin is also very active in other music scenes working with such artists as The Whitlam’s, Katie Noonan, Rothschild, and several times with Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst. 

If you are interested in Double bass lessons for your child, please contact the Music Department at music.admin@kilvington.vic.edu.au.

You can read more information about Caitlin's background below: 

Catlin Bass, Double Bass teacher

As a teacher, I am both very experienced and versatile, having worked in various educational roles in Perth, Melbourne, Austria, and Czech Republic. 

My work has seen me teach students of all ages and backgrounds, assist in orchestral training, direct string ensembles, and prepare students for exams and auditions. 

I am currently an approved Suzuki Piano Teacher Trainee, and I hope to complete my Primary Accreditation in the next year. My goal as a double bass teacher at Kilvington is to provide a warm and nurturing learning environment whereby students can develop the skills and confidence needed in order to reach their full potential. 

I aim to provide a balanced music education, including a strong technical foundation, performance opportunities, peer involvement, and theoretical understanding. Kilvington offers its string students a broad spectrum of musical opportunities including the Year 2 String program, Junior String Orchestra, Chamber String Orchestra and the Kilvington Orchestra. 

Music staff online recital - Gina Gataveckaite 

I am very excited to invite you all to my online piano recital at the Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, Thursday 14 October at 8.30pm. (All digital tickets come with 72-hour viewing from the morning after the Concert.)

Melbourne Digital Concert Hall has been a shining star over the past two years providing musicians with opportunities to perform during these difficult times as well as giving us all a chance to enjoy some wonderful music while stuck at home during lockdowns.  

Words cannot explain how ecstatic I feel to be back performing onstage, even if it is to an empty, but still majestic, Athenaeum Theatre.  

In this recital, you will hear a collection of demanding pictorial miniatures. Starting with a selection of Preludes by contemporary Russian/American composer Lera Auerbach, I will then explore a number of Rihanoff’s iconic Études-tableaux from Op. 39. 

All the information can be found here. 

I hope you can join me for this exciting evening. I am very much looking forward to it! Please share this with anyone who may be interested. 

Lockdown piano performance -  Ryan Lu (Year 1)  

Thank you Ryan for your piano performance, it is truly outstanding!

Please click on Ryan’s link here to enjoy his piano performance.

Live VCE recital 

Joyce Wu, Year 12 VCE music student

As a VCE Music Performance student, it has been really hard for us during lockdown because we have had fewer chances to perform live. 

However, on 16 September, the School gave us a wonderful opportunity. On that day, Matt O'Leary, Cindy Yi and I gave a live VCE recital with excellent Melbourne-based Lithuanian pianist, Gina Gataveckaite, for an online audience. 

We were all really excited about this live performance. The VCE recital lets VCE music performance students practice live performances when singing or playing our instruments. We perform for about 25 minutes, as would be the case in the performance exam.

Overall, I really enjoy performing live and watching others perform.  I want to thank the School and all the teachers who made this happen during these tough times and gave us this wonderful performance opportunity. I will have my performance exam in October and wish everyone luck for their VCE exams!

Online VCE music analysis workshop

On the final day of Term 3, the VCE music performance class were lucky enough to participate in an online VCE analysis workshop with Jenny Gillan who is the author of the VCE music text Listening Beyond Hearing. 

The workshop concentrated on improvisation and how to analyse music which featured improvisation, embellishment and ornamentation. 

In the written music examination, students are required to listen to many excerpts of music and complete questions related to the music, linking the answers to expressive elements. 

Students often struggle to respond to questions on improvisation unless they have a good understanding of what it is and how it is achieved. The students workshopped improvisation in relation to the three main components of melody, articulation and rhythm. 

It was a very worthwhile workshop and explored the music elements in detail with appropriate vocabulary. This exploration was then linked to the character words with sample answers. 

Jenny explained the importance of drawing diagrams to help emphasise a point and to substantiate the student responses. The VCE music students learnt a great deal from their experiences and look forward to an exam preparation with Jenny in mid Term 4.

Klefs choir performance

The Klefs made a virtual choir performance of A Million Dreams which was shown at the Junior Assembly.  Please click here to enjoy!

Lockdown performances

Don’t forget to send in a link of a performance you have recorded in lockdown. All age groups and styles of music welcome. This can be a recording of an instrumental/voice item, dance or monologue. Please send your recordings to music.admin@kilvington.vic.edu.au. 

Diary Dates – Term 4 (dependent on COVID restrictions)