COMPOSER CHU WANGHUA WITH PIANIST RICHARD LIU ( YEAR 12 ) PREPARING CHU ’ S PIANO CONCERTO , CITY BOYS
BENDIGO CHAMBER MUSIC FESTIVAL – LEON
FEI YEAR 11 ), SAMUEL ZONG (‘ 20 ), DEREK PHILLIPS ( YEAR 12 ) as well as orchestras overseas . Before COVID , his international schedule of concert performances was taking him all over the world .
Violinist Leon Fei ( LMusA Dist .) is among the finest instrumentalists of his generation in Australia . In Year 7 he won the National Talent Award run by 3MBS ( and the equivalent radio stations throughout Australia – I heard the broadcast from the Ultimo Centre in Sydney ). The age limit is 30 for that competition ; he won it at 13 . He has won numerous other competitions , and has twice been a finalist in the National Youth Concerto Competition . The finals did not take place ( last year and this year ) due to COVID . Leon recently won the under 18 section of the Long Island International Competition , an exceptional achievement . He has also been a concerto soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra .
An emerging Junior School star is cellist Jun Gardiner in Year 5 . He has won :
• first prize in the concerto section and third prize in the open section in the 67th Annual Ringwood Eisteddfod ;
• the audience prize in season one of the radio 3MBS ‘ The Talent ’ competition ;
• first place in the Musical Society of Victoria String Competition ( 15 years and under );
• third place in the Boroondara String Competition ( 18 years and under ); and
• first place in category one of the International New Zealand Young Talent Music Competition .
He is taking his AMusA cello exam shortly , and he is also an exceptional pianist .
Achievements in 2020 , but not reported , include Geoff Liu ( Year 9 – LMusA Dist . – violin ) who won the Paul McDermott scholarship – a prestigious violin competition ( previously won by Leon Fei , Dion Quach and Tim Yu in days of yore ). Edward Song ( Year 10 ) received a distinction for LMusA Oboe , and also has a diploma on piano . Wells Duan ( Year 7 ) – clarinet ) was awarded first prize in the 15 years and under , and first prize in the 18 years and under woodwind solo section of the Boroondara Eisteddfod . A number of boys also received their AMusA diplomas : Jia Zhang ( Year 12 ) – oboe ( dist .); Victor Jiang ( Year 12 ) – piano ; Andrew Wang ( Year 11 ) – cello ; and Ryan Zhang ( Year 9 ) – clarinet ( dist .). This is a much smaller number than usual , as many diploma exams were cancelled due to the big lockdown last year , and now this year .
As we headed to the end of Term 3 , we were really hoping to present some concerts in Term 4 . At the time of writing , we are optimistic about performing the Junior School concert on 25 November , and we hope to present a picnic concert called Sunday on the Main on 5 December . The percussion concert is scheduled for 6 December , the annual Summer Prom on 7 December and a Christmas Concert ( in lieu of the Carol Service ) is scheduled for 8 December . It is a great credit to the music staff , the boys and their parents that morale has been maintained as well as it has been , and that boys have kept up their practice , and are maintaining optimism for the future .
One other concert is worthy of mention . On 4 December , the Scotch orchestra is scheduled to share a concert with Pro Musica ( the Scotch-affiliated orchestra comprising staff , some advanced students and additional professionals ) to celebrate the 80th birthday of Melbourne-based Chinese composer , Chu Wanghua ( sometimes known as William Chu ). The concert will include three piano concertos ; staff pianist Lachlan Redd will perform the world premiere of Chu ’ s 1989 concerto , Caroline Almonte will perform the Australian premiere of My Motherland , and current student , Richard Liu ( Year 12 ) will perform the Australian premiere of City Boys .
Our association with Chu goes back to 2007 , and he is being commissioned to write a concerto for piano accordion , to be played by one of our students within the next year or two .
I was asked by the editor of The Australian Journal of Music Education ( an academic journal ) to write about how Scotch managed during the long Lockdown 2 ( 111 days ). I surveyed the Scotch staff to see what ideas had emerged , and I was amazed and delighted by the enthusiasm , creativity , adaptability and commitment that the staff brought to their online teaching . This is so important because it must be remembered , unlike most other subjects , nobody has to play an instrument . The article is published in the most recent edition of The Australian Journal of Music Education .
Let us hope that we are moving forward with our choirs , bands and orchestras by the time you are reading this !
JOHN FERGUSON - DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
www . scotch . vic . edu . au Great Scot 45