The month of June has been filled with many events big and small. The NECOM string tutors Robert Jackson, Laura Curotta, Joanna Fairs-Wu and HSC student Jessica Hughes were invited to perform as a string quartet at an ADMS charity function to help raise money for the restoration of the Armidale Play House. This was a big affair with the quartet playing fortississimo to be heard above the large gathering! The quartet added that extra bit of elegance to the start of the evening and was greatly appreciated.
HSC Music Extention students David Tan and Jessica Hughes, both on violin, with Robyn Bradley on piano gave stunning performances of their HSC Music Performance pieces for attentive members of the Jacaranda Social Club.
Scales Parties were held again as a forerunner into the AMEB exam period at the start of Term 3. These are valuable sessions for students to work in groups to help consolidate required scales.
The grand wrap-up of the annual Eistedfodd is in the form of the Gala Concert where many of the NECOM ensembles and outstanding students were showcased alongside others from the wider community and schools. This is such a major event for Armidale and celebrates all that is good about music making, speech and drama in this community.
The Foundation Music Program Ensemble concert was a fitting end to Term 3 with wonderful performances from all the younger ensembles directed by NECOM staff. Puddledocks performed part of their weekly warm-ups and then played with real precision a few of the pieces they have been working on. Boorolong Strings put on a spectacular show about fire with talks and demonstrations about fire safety from NECOM Fire Warden Nicky Price and RFS Officer Arlene Fletcher before performing a work about fire by Stephen Chin called “Heat”.
NECOM has had the pleasure to host a weekend Dalcroze Workshop with the Dr.Sandra Nash as the presenter. The String tutors had an informative afternoon session introducing them to some of the Dalcroze-Eurythmics techniques beneficial to studio teaching.
To finish off the month three of the leading teachers from the ANU School of Music , Tor Fromhyr (violin/viola), David Pereira (cello) and Edward Neeman (piano) have devoted a day and a half to give our top string students masterclasses, lessons and preparation advice for the AYO audition 2019 orchestral excerpts.