Team ASPIRE is still buzzing from the incredible success of the inaugural ASPIRE International Youth Music Festival in Brisbane. If you haven’t already done so, please check out the ASPIRE albums on Facebook. We will be uploading more photos in the following weeks too!
The Icebreaker event, hosted at St Peter’s Lutheran College set the festival off with a bang! ASPIRE participants had the opportunity to meet fellow musicians and enjoy a meal from a food truck of their choice. The Toowoomba Grammar Funk Band kept everyone entertained and ASPIRE Festival Patron John Curro AM MBE officially opened the festival by cutting the HUGE ASPIRE cake!
The three days that followed featured stand-out adjudicated performances from top schools across New Zealand and Australia in the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University Theatre.
Each ensemble also worked directly with their adjudicators in technique-refining workshops, and with other renowned musicians in masterclasses.
The competition was complemented by public performances across Brisbane at Le Festival (Brisbane’s French Festival), a “Jazz Under the Stars” evening at Bulimba Golf Club, Queen Street Mall Stage, Old Government House, and the steps of the Queensland Conservatorium itself, overlooking the busy South Bank crowds.
The 1st Place Results Across All Categories
Concert Band – St Andrew’s Anglican College (Sunshine Coast)
Symphony Orchestra – Avondale College (Auckland)
String Orchestra – Brisbane Boys’ College (Brisbane)
Jazz Band – St Andrew’s Anglican College (Sunshine Coast)
SATB Choir – John Paul College (Brisbane)
SSA Choir – Westlake Girls’ High School (Auckland)
The John Curro Perpetual Award
Each of these ensembles performed to the entire festival congregation at the ASPIRE Gala Finale Concert on 9 July and we are excited to announce that the overall award for excellency – the John Curro Perpetual Award for Overall Best Performance – was awarded to Westlake Girls’ High School’s Cantare choir!
Well done to all the ensembles who participated in 2017 ASPIRE!
What others have said…
“Thank you again for your vision and organising such a wonderful event. You and your staff were just marvellous.”
Robert Wakely – Camberwell Grammar School (Melbourne)
“Congratulations to you on a brilliant first festival. I have been singing the praises of Aspire ever since I got back to Sydney especially the calibre of the staff and the amazing focus of the children…”
Brett Weymark (Music Director) – ASPIRE Adjudicator
“Thank you all so much for a wonderful experience for the first ever “Aspire” Festival, you’ve pulled off an amazing event and everyone in attendance including your clinicians loved it! Bravo to all and thank you for including me. You have a first class organisation with many great things to come!”
Dr John P. Lynch DMA, Associate Professor, Wind Symphony Conductor, Sydney Conservatorium of Music – ASPIRE Adjudicator
“Thank you and Congratulations!! On behalf of the Music Dept and the Students of Brisbane Boys’ College, I would like to thank you for including us in the inaugural Aspire International Youth Music Festival. The students all seemed to have a wonderful experience and enjoyed being involved. They all worked very hard and seemed very enthusiastic about performing at all events. I think that it is very important that Brisbane has a Music Event of this quality. It highlights all of the great things that are going on in this corner the world. Please pass on our thank you to Ass Prof Peter Luff. His care, professionalism and guidance was very much appreciated by myself. Please also thank your staff on the ground namely – Isaac, Alice, Stephanie and of course Alex Khafagi. Without their help, we would have had a lesser experience. Congratulations on all of your efforts. I know that it was worth it and I hope that you feel the same. Yvonne, thank you for your vision and determination. Due to your enthusiasm for youth music, our students are experiencing greater opportunities. Thank you for inviting BBC to come along…”
Theo Kotzas, Head of Performance Music, Director of Strings, Brisbane Boys’ College
A Special Thank You!
A big thank you to our Gold Sponsors Yamaha Music Australia, Just Percussion and Simply for Strings for your generous support and supplying us with instruments throughout ASPIRE.