Music Scholars' Concert
Wenona's instrumental virtuosos light up the Independent Theatre stage.
The Wenona Music Scholars’ Concert is an opportunity to marvel at the eye-opening skills of our scholarship holders and high-achieving instrumentalists (usually those who have achieved an Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB), Associate in Music (AMus), or Licentiate in Music (LMus) Diploma level or equivalent). Most of these students have been perfecting their technique from a very early age and the maturity of their playing never ceases to amaze.
The Term 1 2023 Concert opened with Wenona Music Captain Makenna (Year 12), who has been studying both piano and violin since she was five years old. Having achieved her AMEB Certificate of Performance (CMus) in piano in Year 9, Makenna says she now focuses on her violin technique and its "ability to express various tone colours and textures". She is now completing an HSC Music course and is a member of the Wenona Orchestra and the Senior String Quartet. She delighted audience members with a performance of Grand Adagio from Raymonda, composed by Alexander Glazunov.
Maggie (Year 7) is a young French horn player and one of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music's Rising Stars. She has received numerous awards at the Ryde and Sydney Eisteddfods and has received an offer to join the Sydney Youth Orchestra – an extraordinary achievement for a young brass player. She performed Theme and Variations by Franz Strauss.
Violinist Vivienne (Year 9) plays several instruments at an exceptional level. She began on the violin when she was two, achieving her CMus when she was only in Year 5, and began playing the viola when she was 11. She also plays the oboe, which can be an extremely challenging instrument to learn. She is a member of the Wenona Orchestra, Camerata, and String Quartet and played the first movement from Violin Concerto No.7 in A Minor by Pierre Rode.
Instrumental Music Captain Emily (Year 12) is a dedicated woodwind player. Part of the Saxophone Quartet, she completed her Grade 8 AMEB in Year 9 with a High Distinction. She is a former member of the award-winning external band Northern Youth Symphonic Wind, currently plays at an AMusA standard and is a Performance major in Music 2 and Music Extension for the HSC. At the Music Scholars’ Concert Emily played a piece from the Catch Me If You Can movie soundtrack, by John Williams.
The Senior String Quartet is made up of four talented musicians, Makenna (Year 12) and Nicole (Year 10) on Violin, Hayley (Year 11) on Viola and Bronte (Year 10) on Cello. These students learn the intricacies of playing as a quartet in weekly rehearsals and play at various important Wenona events. They performed String Quartet in A Major by Mozart.
Litia (Year 11) has been playing the trumpet since Year 3 and has now attained Grade 8 level. She is also a singer and her musical idols range from Miles Davis to Alison Balsam. Litia played two contrasting trumpet pieces, Andante from Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto, and the mambo-inspired Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White by Jacques LaRue and Louiguy (Louis Gugliemi).
Joyce (Year 12) is working towards her LMusA Diploma on piano and has been playing the piano for 14 years, having begun at the age of four. Her favourite Western art music style is Romantic but at the Music Scholars’ Concert, she played a song written for the classic Japanese animated film Howl's Moving Castle - Merry Go Round of Life by Hisashi.
The Saxophone Quartet is made up of Music Instrumental Captain Emily (Year 12), Amelia (Year 12), and Claudia (Year 10). They played Saxophone in the City by Colin Crabb.
Year 8 student Nicole began her violin journey at the age of five and dreams of studying at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia one day. She achieved her LMusA on violin in 2022 – an amazing achievement for someone so young. She also recently achieved a place on the podium at the Sydney Eisteddfod in the 15 Years and Under category. Nicole performed the first movement from Violin Concerto in E Minor by Felix Mendelssohn.
Hayley (Year 11) has a huge string of accomplishments to her name. Highly accomplished on the viola, she also plays the violin and the flute. She achieved her LMusA with Distinction for viola and obtained a High Distinction for her Certificate of Performance on Flute. She is a recipient of the Victor Cromack and Melba Alma Harris Cromack Scholarship in the Rising Stars Program at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and has been invited to participate in the ACO Academy for the last several years, as well as performing as a soloist with the Ku-ring-gai Philharmonic Orchestra. Hayley performed the Sonata per la Grand Viola by Paganini.