Music

Alastair McDonald Headmaster’s Assembly performance

The final term presents wonderful opportunities for our Year 12s to perform on stage in front of the 2024 cohort. Alastair McDonald has been a great servant to the Music department for many years. He set the tone perfectly for the final term with a beautiful rendition of Stephen Schwartz’s ‘Beautiful City’, with an emotional mix of modal interchange and suspended harmonies that challenge the idea of coming together as one community. 

Please follow this link to a recording of the performance at Headmaster’s Assembly:

Music Camp

Congratulations to all members selected for the premier ensembles for Churchie Music Camp. By now, you will have received your letter. A reminder to all parents driving to the concert on Sunday: there will be limited parking and you may require additional time to arrive from street parking. As we look forward to hosting our guest conductor, for bands and vocals, please take some time to read their biographies below.

Sharelle Guest: band guest conductor

Flautist Sharelle Guest lives in Coolum. She began her flute-playing career in Cairns and continued her studies with Edgar Kariks in Toowoomba while completing her Diploma in Teaching. Sharelle began working for the Education Department in Cairns in 1992 and has since taught in over 50 schools. She has played with Suncoast Sinfonia, Pacific Chamber Orchestra and occasionally with orchestras accompanying Noosa Chorale productions. Sharelle currently teaches both instrumental and classroom music at Coolum Schools, is an Instrumental Music Project Officer for Education Queensland and also performs in the local Irish band ‘Buckley’s Chance’.

PCP (Pacific Chamber Players) (n.d) Pacific Chamber Players, PCP, accessed 8 October 2024.

John Rotar: vocal guest conductor

John Rotar is the Conductor and Artistic Director of The Australian Voices. Described by Limelight as a ‘talented and innovative composer’, John is a prolific composer and has had over 130 works performed by leading arts organisations across Australia, Europe and North America. Aside from his conducting and composing work, John is also an active performer as a trombonist, bass, organist and piano accompanist and holds the organist chair at the historic All Saints Church in the Brisbane CBD.

The Australian Voices (2023) Artistic director – John Rotar, accessed 8 October 2024.

Bohdan Davison
Director of Music