Bravissimo

On Wednesday 14th February, Ms Sandra Smith and myself had the absolute pleasure of taking senior music students to Port Macquarie to see Bravissimo at The Glasshouse. Bravissimo is a showcase of Band 6 Music performances from the region in Music 1, Music 2 and Extension from 2023. The concert showcased a variety of instruments and styles and included Encore nominees. One of the students who performed received 99 for Music 1 and was 2nd in the State for the course.

BDC Alumni Sam Fisher, Max Egan, Jasper Thompson, Jamika McCauley-Earnest and Sam’s father Christian Fisher all performed at the concert so it was wonderful to support them.

The Senior students all came away enthused and inspired for their Major Works.

Ash Wednesday

Thank you to Camble Scott (11) and Adelaide Robinson (8) who performed at the Ash Wednesday service on Wednesday 14th February. The students did a wonderful job supporting this important event in the College calendar.

Drama Academy

The Year 5 and 6 Drama Academy has launched this year. The students have currently had 4 sessions led by Ms Katie Gudgeon and senior students Tim Hardman and Ben Caesar. All students have been having a great time and we look forward to seeing this program evolve.

Armidale Youth Orchestra

On Saturday 24th February and Sunday 25th February, selected BDC music students joined with students from the Armidale Youth Orchestra for a music camp at Sawtell Primary School. This culminated with a performance on Sunday at 10:30am for parents and guests. Students had a wonderful weekend bonding with students from Armidale and engaging in music making.

Encore

On Monday 4th March, Senior Music students traveled to Sydney to see Encore at the Opera House. Encore is the NESA Showcase of outstanding Music performances from 2023 across all 3 music courses - Music 1, Music 2 and Music Extension. The students had an amazing time and were definitely inspired for their own performance pieces for the HSC.

Composition Workshop

Elective Music students (years 9-12) as well as High Performance Music students have been invited to attend a composition workshop with Dr Phillip Rutherford on Tuesday 19th March. This workshop is held at Bishop Druitt College in M1 and is free for students to attend. Dr Rutherford will spend the day discussing compositional techniques and students will have the opportunity to workshop their own compositions as well. Students must have permission to attend so please ensure acceptance is done through the Parent Lounge.

College Musical

Preparations for the college Musical, The Little Mermaid are well underway. Students have been rehearsing every Monday and Wednesday afternoons as well as some Sundays and the progress is exciting. Nanette Backhouse has been working tirelessly to ensure the costumes are amazing and the props and lighting are coming together.

The productions will be held early Term 2 with tickets on sale later this term. It is going to be a great show so please make sure you get your tickets as soon as they are released to avoid disappointment.

Ella-Grace Chowdhury

Congratulations to Ella Chowdhury of year 11 who has been selected as one of 30 students to represent Australia in Musical Theatre in America in the January 2025 holidays. Ella is one of the College’s High Performance Performing Arts students and this is wonderful recognition of her talent and dedication to the performing arts.

Ella went to Newcastle in November with her studio where they performed a 15 minute version of Moana Jr the Musical and were awarded the most outstanding acting award.

After this, Ella participated in the All Stars audition which is open to young adults aged 16-18. Thousands of people auditioned and only 30 were selected, including Ella.

Ella will travel to America with the Aussie All Stars team where they will immerse themselves in the lifestyle of a New York Broadway artist. She will be exposed to Broadway musicals, talk-back sessions with Broadway performers, exclusive performance workshops, masterclasses and explore the iconic sights of New York.

Congrats Ella!

Secondary Assembly

Thank you to Sarah Jupe, Mia O’Reilly, Lillian Cruwys and Jaela Hibbard for leading the singing of the National Anthem at our Secondary Assemblies over the past few weeks. Thank you also to our student performers:

• Armaan Azad (10) who performed ‘Neon’ by John Mayer on Electric Guitar (week 3)
• Ila Greenaway (9) who performed ‘A Hint of Lime’ on flute (Week 4)
• Tim Hardman (10) and Ella-Grace Chowdhury (11) who performed ‘Dancing on My Own’ by Calum Scott on piano and vocals (week 5)

We appreciate all of our performers.

Upcoming Events for your Diary

Rebecca Day
Head of Performing Arts