Musical talent hits the right chord
AFTER nine years’ commitment to playing the saxophone and, most recently, the tenor saxophone, Emily Lawrence, Year 12 student at The Glennie School is ecstatic about the opportunity to perform with Australia’s best musicians at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University’s Australian Honours Ensemble Program (AHEP).
Under the leadership of a team of internationally eminent Australian conductors, Emily will extend her musical skills in a series of masterclasses in an intensive environment of musical excellence.
With this experience under her belt, Emily’s musical aspiration of completing a music degree at university and gaining entry into the Australian Defence Force Reserve Band is looking a lot brighter.
Emily’s audition required her to submit a repertoire of two personally chosen and performed pieces via video along with set excerpts from the band repertoire decided by the Conservatorium.
For other student musicians looking to secure a similar placement, Emily’s advice is to “make use of the saxophone’s versatility and participate in lots of bands, play different genres of music and practise hard”.
Year 12 student Celine Dixon, Year 11 students Gabby Kleidon, Hannah Waterfall, Kartia Chin and Year 10 student Lauren Lester are also celebrating their acceptance to the State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP).
After an introduction to the family karaoke machine at seven years of age, and eight years of formal singing lessons, Celine has become an accomplished vocalist.
Celine is no stranger to the stage at Glennie, as a regular choralist, lunchtime concert performer and school musical lead cast member.
“Singing is very popular; if you love it, simply believe in yourself,” said Celine.
Gabby has played the oboe for six years and admits she has come a long way since her initial tunes sounding like a duck.
“Perseverance and a positive attitude helped me to get to my current skill and performance level playing the oboe,” said Gabby.
Since being handed the French horn in Year 5, Hannah has revelled in the sevenyear familiarisation with playing this intricate instrument.
Her tutelage at Glennie has obviously been a positive experience, leading Hannah to think about a career as a music teacher and/or play semi-professionally.
“At SHEP, I will collaborate with other orchestral members to produce a wonderful program of music, and of course, have a great time,” said Hannah.
“I chose to play tenor saxophone at Year 5 music camp after a Year 12 student spent time with me as a tutor,” said Kartia.
Since then, Kartia has been a valuable member of string quartet and big band at Glennie and is considering studying music as a second major at university.
Lauren has played the clarinet for six years and is working towards getting her Associate in Music (AMusA) qualification by the time she graduates.