Titanic effort for students to sing
Schools
Sitting on a bus for a 12-hour round trip might not be everyone’s idea of fun, but for a group of musically-minded students from Whyalla it is a small inconvenience for them to be part of the prestigious annual Catholic Schools Music Festival.
Next term, 27 students from Samaritan College’s primary campuses – St Teresa’s and Our Lady Help of Christians – will make the lengthy bus ride twice, once to attend a rehearsal with other schools and on the second occasion to perform at the highly anticipated event at the Entertainment Centre.
To be held from September 10-13, this year the festival celebrates 30 years on stage and it is also a significant milestone for St Teresa’s as it is the 20th year the school has participated in the event.
Samaritan’s music coordinator Winnie Fitzgerald said the Year 5 and 6 students have been rehearsing their Titanic medley with much enthusiasm throughout the year and were looking forward to their big moment in the spotlight in September.
“The experience is something they will never forget,” she told The Southern Cross.
“It’s so important coming from a country school as it gives the opportunity to show the students what is out there and what they can do. It’s a real confidence boost for the kids and it’s great for them to be meeting other like-minded kids who love to sing and perform.”
For Winnie, who is celebrating her 18th year as a choir trainer with the festival, the event is a highlight of her teaching year.
“Every festival is new and different… it just gets bigger and better every year,” she said.
“All the choir trainers have a meeting at the beginning of the year (in Adelaide) and we go down and learn the songs, and I’m still really excited to see what the songs are and this is my 18th year!”
About 2000 students from 80 Catholic schools will feature in this year’s event. Performances will include a 400-voice choir, instrumental ensembles, vocal groups and solo artists.
Tickets to the public go on sale from mid-August. For more details go to http://premier.ticketek.com.au
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