MUSICAL NOTES

There was also a strong choral presence, with a combined Treble and Alto Choir performing selections from Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols. Of particular note was the combined Tenor and Bass Choir, which performed a number of movements from Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana with guest soloist and Old Sydneian, Mr Morgan Pearse (OS 2006). It was wonderful to welcome Morgan – a renowned opera and oratorio singer based in the UK – back to the School. In addition to singing in the concert, Morgan conducted a masterclass for a number of our senior vocal pupils earlier that week. The concert concluded with a thrilling performance by the School Orchestra which played several movements from The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky. The Ensembles Concert was the final concert for the year. Held in the Alastair Mackerras Theatre, it featured most of the School’s small instrumental ensembles, including several woodwind, brass and percussion ensembles, as well as the Junior Rock band. As always, this concert highlighted the breadth of musical opportunities available to boys at Grammar.

Term I 2026

The annual Welcome Concert in Big School started the concert year, featuring a variety of smaller groups from across the ensemble programme. On 5 March, the Music Scholars’ Concert in the John Vallance Hall contained the usual high quality solo performances from our scholars. On the evening, we welcomed our new Form I Music Scholar and acknowledged the significant contribution of our outgoing Form VI scholars. This was followed a week later by the Term I Concert, also in the John Vallance Hall. Given this concert falls two thirds of the way into Term I, it is always impressive to hear what has been achieved by the boys in such a short amount of rehearsal time. The concert started with the large Seymour Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky’s Marche Slave, and this set the high standard for the performances that followed. The Wind Ensemble performed an energetic and vibrant piece called Three Latin Dances and the Junior Vocal Ensemble demonstrated impressive vocal dexterity in their performance of Purcell’s Sound the Trumpet from Come, Ye Sons of Art. The Croonivores and Grammarphones presented a range of popular 20th-century songs, including works by Cole Porter, Billy Joel and George Gershwin. The Jazz Orchestra gave us a taste of what is to come in Term II when Bert Joris visits the School as this year’s Khusid Fellow, performing one of his original compositions, Kong’s Garden. The finale was a thrilling performance of the third movement of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 by the winner of last year’s Form V Instrumental Competition, Isaac Chow, accompanied by the School Orchestra. Isaac gave a virtuosic and high-energy performance of this famous work and he certainly deserved the rousing (and lengthy) applause that followed his performance.

HSC and Encore Concert

Eighteen Grammar musicians from the 2025 cohort were nominated for NESA’s annual Encore Concert for outstanding performances, compositions and musicology essays. We were thrilled that for the third year running, Grammar was well represented in the concert. Raymond Wang (OS 2025) was invited to play one of his HSC pieces, Klezmer Dances No. 3 “Let’s Be Happy” by Giora Feidman. He performed superbly and the audience, which included a large number of senior Grammar boys, thoroughly enjoyed his virtuosic playing. Raymond has recently been awarded a full scholarship to study music at the Royal College of Music, London. Also representing the School was Austin Song (OS 2025), who was acknowledged in the programme for his outstanding Music Extension Musicology essay. Both boys are to be congratulated on their significant achievements.

SCEGGS Sing and String Day

On Sunday 8 March, string players and singers were involved in a new collaboration between Grammar and SCEGGS Darlinghurst, called Sing and String Day. Hosted by SCEGGS Darlinghurst, our boys combined with the girls to create a large string orchestra and a choir. The two groups rehearsed all morning before joining up for a pizza lunch. Parents were then treated to a short concert of string and choral items conducted by staff from both schools, including our Head of Strings, Ms Belinda Jezek and Head of Choirs and Vocal Studies, Dr Koen van Stade. This was a very successful event that provided a great opportunity for Grammar boys and SCEGGS girls to enjoy making music together and get to know each other. We are planning to organise similar collaborations in the future.