Forward July 2015 | Page 38

SENIOR SCHOOL Newly commissioned Brophy mass setting to debut at national music conference Dr Gerard Brophy – composer of the ‘Mass for the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Chapel of St Mary and St George’ – recently returned to the School as our Composer in Residence for two weeks in Semester 1. During his visit, Gerard worked with students and staff from the Music Department to inspire them with his vast knowledge of composition and music in general. He taught the Year 8s, 9s, 10s, 11s and 12s in music class and addressed the whole school on the topic of following your passions at a school assembly. It was such a great opportunity to have a world famous musician come and share his time and experiences so freely with our students. Another reason for Gerard’s visit was to write a newly commissioned piece for the String Ensemble and the Boodjar Bidi Dance Troupe that shows the synthesis of the Indigenous and Music programs within the School. To this effect Gerard worked closely with Mr Barry McGuire and Mr Andrew Beck, as well as the staff and students of the School of Music, to write a piece that incorporates the traditional Nyoongar Whale Song and Spider Dance as well as a newly composed theme for the String Ensemble. The piece will involve Nyoongar vocals and rhythms, boomerangs, didgeridoos, dancers, violins, violas and cellos. This 10-minute work will be premiered at the XIVth ASME (Australian Society of Music Educators) conference in Adelaide, South Australia, during late September/early October this year. We have also been asked to present a 60-minute workshop on the creation of the work and the role of composition within a secondary music program. This interactive workshop will be present