Bishop
Druitt College has turned 20 this year, and currently there are plans in place
for a gala concert to be held.
The current
head of music, Mr Dale Condon, has requested for as many musicians to make a
return where possible.
“Could I please ask you to put
your thinking caps on and let me know who the Orchestra players might be between
the Years 1994 and 2006. I've got the past 8 years covered, as I've been here!”
To give a quick rundown
of the history of the orchestra within the school...
- The orchestra was originally established in 1996, with a total of twelve musicians at the first rehearsal. An assortment of strings, winds, and few brass formed the first ensemble.
- The first piece the ensemble read through was a hand-written arrangement of “Under the Sea” from “The Little Mermaid”. Not long after this, scores and parts would be produced through the software “Logic” (yeah, old school on all you modern day Sibelius/Finale users!). It was no secret that this could be a tedious task, at times.
- The first rehearsals were held in the classroom known as “A1”. Rehearsals moved into “B Lab” where the science lab, under construction, was being shared as a music room before C Block would eventually be constructed. Rehearsals were eventually held in the auditorium performance space before the School of Music was established, and rehearsals would then be held in “M1” (with “the dome”).
- Rehearsals were held at lunch, and eventually transitioned to after-school hours.
- The orchestra was originally named the “Bishop Druitt College Youth Orchestra”, before changing names to the “Coffs Harbour Regional Youth Orchestra” in 2002 (I think, I could be wrong about the year), and eventually changing names to the “Regional Youth Orchestra”.
- Prior to changing names, students from other schools were invited to join in with the orchestra under its original name. Today, this tradition continues as students travel for early morning rehearsals.
The hunt is
on for past musicians (yes, we will include singers as well). One of the pieces
appearing to be cemented in the program is the overture to “Orpheus in the
Underworld” in order to feature cameos of past and present students. It’s not
clear what else would be required of musicians to perform, but it would be
great to find out who would be available as a starting point.
There have
been quite a few musicians who have continued on to have success at tertiary
level and beyond as part of their musical journey, and this is definitely an
opportunity to be able to catch up and share not only through words but
performance as well.
“Wait, wait,
wait. You haven’t even given us a date yet!”
The date
would be Friday the 5th of September. For alumni wishing to
participate, they will need to attend the rehearsal on Thursday the 4th
of September where a meal will be provided for guest musicians.
“Who should
be contacted?!”
- Musicians who took part in the orchestra and music programs ranging back from 1994 through to 2006.
- The former Head of Music, David Slater. Yes, we will try to find him, contact him, and hopefully have him in attendance.
Spread the
word, and let’s hope for an immense gathering of musicians to celebrate the
school’s 20th year!
