Student and Ensemble Successes
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the following students, who have been selected from a highly competitive pool of international pianists.

• Jacey Anand
• Alexandrina Cao
• Mia Zhou

These remarkable young musicians have been selected to showcase their exceptional skills at the prestigious Royal Albert Hall in London this coming June, although regrettably both Alexandra and Mia will not be attending.

Their selection emerged from a rigorous online international piano competition, which attracted participants from the USA, Colombia, Israel, Australia, Japan, China, Europe, and the UK.

These wonderful students have been under the tutelage of one of our piano teachers Mrs Urszula Gruszewski.

The Eisteddfod season is in full swing, and we learned of another amazing student achievement that has been achieved.

Mackenzie Wilkes (10CED) was awarded the AMEB SA & NT Grade Prize Winner for Musical Theatre Grade 5 singing exam. This is an extraordinary achievement, and we congratulate Mackenzie on her success.

Continuing with the Eisteddfod success stories, this past Friday, May 31, our combined String Quartets took part in S806 Chamber Music Competition. Just like at the academy awards, there was some high drama, as our girls were initially and erroneously disqualified from the section for playing over the time limit!

Our Head of Strings, and chamber director Mr Joseph Freer immediately sought clarification, as our girls played only the one piece – and this was the set piece none the less, and were nowhere near the time limit allowed. A large oversight was deemed to have taken place with the timekeeper overlooking the stop button between the ensemble prior to Wilderness, and our girls starting, more than doubling the time that our girls actually clocked.

But we all like a good ending – and the Wilderness students were thrilled to learn that they actually had achieved second place before the disqualification, and with the error made clear, our girls were able to receive their award. This is a wonderful achievement for our girls who played in a highly advanced section. Congratulations!

We wish our Junior Dreamers all the best for this coming Thursday when they take to the Eisteddfod stage, under the direction of Miss York.

Combined Strings Concert at Ukaria Cultural Centre
Our Strings program has been undergoing a resurgence recently, under the energetic leadership of our Strings Coordinator, Mr Joseph Freer. Mr Freer was determined that in 2024 the annual Chamber Concert would be held offsite in a venue befitting of classical orchestral music and so on Sunday May 19, the Ukaria Cultural Centre in Mount Barker hosted an exquisite concert featuring the Senior String Orchestras of Wilderness School and Prince Alfred College.

The event was the culmination of numerous combined rehearsals and the dedicated efforts of all the students involved. The afternoon's repertoire was advanced, showcasing the profound talent and hard work of the young musicians. Standout performances included a captivating rendition of ‘Summer’ by Vivaldi featuring Victoria Phan (12SPA) and a lively interpretation of Irish Legend by Year 11 student Zoe Koerber, both leaving the audience in awe.

The Ukaria Cultural Centre, renowned for its stunning architecture and superb acoustics, provided the perfect backdrop for this celebration of orchestral music. The concert was not only a testament to the power of collaboration but also a demonstration of the transformative beauty of music, leaving a lasting impression on all who attended.

Jazz at the Gov
Week 5 is one of the busiest weeks of the year for the music department. This year’s Musician in Residence Program saw not one, but two highly acclaimed interstate artists join us for our prestigious Jazz at the Gov concert. We were delighted to welcome back Ross Irwin from Victoria, and the revered Emma Pask from Sydney, who was scouted by James Morrison, and spent over 20 years travelling with him around the world.

Ross and Emma spent three days with our girls in workshops, classes and rehearsals, imparting invaluable advice not only for their musical development, but also for lifelong skills. The students were captivated by their exceptional talents and eagerly absorbed every piece of guidance they offered. Jazz at the Gov on Wednesday night was nothing short of spectacular. The girls had the opportunity to play to a full house, with some experiencing their first and last Wilderness concert in their schooling careers.

Highlights of the evening included the award-winning Jazz Choir performing their reimagined version of “One Note Samba,” featuring our extraordinary guest artists and the Year 12 Jazz Band who presented the contemporary ‘Good To Go’. Despite the week’s busy schedule, our Musicians in Residence program and concert at The Gov were both resounding successes.

Strings Eisteddfod
Yesterday our Junior Dreamers Choir competed in the Adelaide Choral Eisteddfod, in the Primary Choirs Division, and for the second year in a row took out first place! Our girls in Year 5 and 6 sang two beautiful pieces and achieved an extremely high score of 96/100!

This year the choir is being directed by Miss Paige York and the girls have flourished under her enthusiastic leadership. This is the 3^rd first place achievement in our Choral program this year – our girls are thriving in this area!

All the girls involved should be immensely proud of their achievements.