from facebook:
Westlake Symphony and Westlake Chamber Orchestra playing today in the Musikverein under the batons of David Squire and Mark Bennett respectively, they were truly awesome and deserve huge credit. They are, however, up against some really stiff competition, with a lot of other competitors in their sections, including orchestras with players in their 20’s (the age limit for the festival is 30). Competition is now OVER so the pressure off a bit! Just waiting for results, but irrespective, all 4 of the Westlake ensembles competing in this festival have performed at the very highest level and done themselves, the schools and all of us SO proud. Virtute Experiamur!
Dear Westlake music lovers,
Just a couple of results that have come in over the last day or so at the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival 2014 in Vienna:
Westlake Chamber Orchestra: 3rd place, in the toughest category of the whole competition (7 chamber orchestras, mostly university level).
Westlake Symphony Orchestra: 1st equal, tied with the New Jersey Youth Orchestra from the USA.
Westlake Concert Band: 1st place!
Choralation: 1st equal, tied with the University of Pretoria Youth Choir from South Africa.
We believe this is the first time any organisation has taken out three of the five categories at this festival, and certainly the first time that all groups entered have placed. This means that all of the touring Westlake musicians will be performing in the celebration gala concert on Tuesday night.
Super proud of all these young musicians!
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Update for the past couple of days in Vienna (my apologies for not doing one yesterday – too busy preparing for today!)…
Our hotel in an outer suburb of Vienna is quite a complex – huge, with many other ensembles staying here, as well as a whole bunch of sports teams. The rooms are certainly very comfortable, with all the students rooming in pairs. The festival supplies buses for us to get to and from the performance venues, so our regular drivers are having a quieter week, apart from having to drive the truck full of gear to wherever we are going. Yesterday we got to experience the Musikverein for the first time, and it really is as spectacular as we imagined, covered in gold and with amazing artwork everywhere. Choralation was the fourth of five choirs in their category to perform, and presented a much more varied repertoire selection than the others. Of course, Kua Rongo was enthusiastically received by the audience, as was the rest of the programme, which was beautifully sung. Then we had a short amount of free time to explore the shops near the opera house, before heading off to the MuTh (short for MUsic THeatre, home of the Vienna Boys Choir), where the four Westlake groups presented a 75 minute concert in a very friendly acoustic. Then it was back to the hotel for dinner, and the three instrumental ensembles had their final rehearsals before the tour.
This morning we all headed back to the Musikverein, ready for the instrumental ensembles to compete. Concert Band was up against 2 other bands from the USA and Malaysia, playing last in their section. I have to say that I have never heard the Westlake Concert Band sound as good as they did today – their intonation, sense of ensemble and general musicianship were impeccable. The jury thought so too, making some very complimentary remarks to them at the workshop later in the day. After a short lunch break, it was time for Westlake Symphony Orchestra to start the orchestra section of the competition. I could tell before we went onstage that the players were ready, and they proved this during the performance, playing all four works better than they have before. It was such a thrill to stand in front of them on at impressive stage and watch them present a confident, highly polished programme. The New Zealand works went down very well with the audience, with the Lilburn in particular having some really magical moments. After that we heard the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra from Canada present a technically complex recital which demonstrated what the next age group beyond ours can do, and then it was time for Westlake Chamber Orchestra. Once again, the young musicians played in a very mature and musical manner. The Alex Taylor piece was a real highlight – notable for a hushed appreciation from the audience. After a quick group photo out front, it was time to say goodbye to the Musikverein, which will live in my memory as one of the most amazing acoustics I have ever performed in. Concert Band headed off to the university for their workshop, while the remainder of the group walked there via St Stephen’s Cathedral. Choralation then had their workshop combined with the Johnston High School (Canada) choirs, and then it was back to the hotel for an excellent buffet meal and a chance to talk about the exciting achievements of the past couple of days. Without a doubt the Westlake students have been outstanding ambassadors for their schools and country, and we as a staff are incredibly proud of them.
I’m sure you’re all aware by now that Choralation came first equal in their category (tied with the University of Pretoria Youth Choir from South Africa), a really well-deserved reward for all their hard work. We are still waiting to hear about the instrumental groups, but whatever happens, you can be assured that all our musicians have presented top-notch performances.