Last week saw our annual Concerto and Aria Competitions take place. Both competitions are split into a junior and a senior section, with Concerto showcasing our top instrumentalists and Aria displaying our top vocalists.
Concerto
Concerto kicked off with some dynamic performances from a range of junior instrumentalists. Year 7 violinist Michelle Wang won the top junior prize while Kayo Takamatsu won the Piano Cup and also presented a beautiful original composition at the end of the evening. Second place went to Elise Ji on viola, and third equal to Serena Bhindi on trumpet and Victoria Wright on double bass. There is some amazing talent in our Junior High School and many of these girls have great futures as outstanding artists.
The Senior Section was presented at another level again, with Sharon Hung placed as the overall winner, presenting a stunning performance for unaccompanied cello. Zoe Zhu won the Piano Cup, and Sarah Casey and Sofie Yeung were first equal with their violin concertos. Lydia Watson won the Clarinet Cup and Emma Sidnam was awarded top performer on the saxophone.
Director of Performing Arts Shelagh Thomson presided at the event and indicated that she selected the finalists from over 30 top instrumentalists. We are delighted with the depth of talent at Diocesan, and special thanks to Dr Marie Ross, from the University of Auckland and world renowned specialist on historical clarinet performance, who also commented on the breadth of talent apparent over the evening.
Aria
This year’s Aria Competition was adjudicated by Catrin Johnsson, world famous Swedish mezzo soprano who has worked with some of the most prestigious opera companies around the world. She is currently teaching at Auckland University and we were fortunate to have her expertise and knowledge shared with the students.
This year we had 10 junior finalists, Keltie-Kewan Young won the Y7/8 division and Chielin Xu the Y9/10 division. Runners-up in were Stella Boyte and Hazel Francis.
Special awards to recognise potential were awarded to Rosie Leishman and Sophia Souloglou.
The senior section featured six magnificent voices – all the girls beautifully presented in their gowns, adding to the specialness of the occasion. Each soloist was required to sing two works, one art song and one aria. The senior cup this year was awarded to Alexandra Francis, singing Schubert lied followed by a sparking presentation of Menotti’s “Hello! O Margaret, it’s you” using a real telephone to converse with her friend Margaret, when clearly she wanted to leave and meet with her lover! Second prize was awarded to Olivia Beckett and third to Heidi Bernard, with the most promising soloist award going to Ally Quatermass.
In her summing up, the adjudicator noted that as a singer you have a two-way role – one to deliver a song with your voice, and the second role is to tell a story. All the seniors made their songs come alive with the story-telling. It is a very difficult challenge and every girl needs a special mention for their success on selection as finalists and delivering such wonderful stories to the enthralled audience. Congratulations to all those who competed!
