Scotch Youth Voices

2013 has been an exciting year for the Scotch College Middle School. Along with the development of the new Middle School building there has also been a new vocal ensemble created: the Scotch Youth Voices. The ensemble aims to give boys who have a love of singing and show strong musical potential, the opportunity to work to a high standard and perform on a professional music circuit.

There are 40 boys in the ensemble who rehearse on a weekly basis. The programme encourages boys from Year 6 through to Year 8 to sing, and provides them with musical experiences that were fun and engaging. The ensemble performs repertoire from a variety of styles such as Classical, Jazz, World and Contemporary to name a few.

At the end of 2012 the ensemble auditioned to perform at the Fairbridge Festival. The festival is a major event on the WA cultural calendar with a large fan base and audiences of over 5,000 people every year. The Scotch Youth Voices competed against more than 500 other applicants from WA, interstate and overseas to perform at the festival. Not only were they accepted, they were also provided with the opportunity to perform with one of the headline acts: Mr Andrew Winton.

On Saturday 27 April the boys headed down to Moray and completed the final rehearsals before the performance. They also had some time for relaxation and bonding together as an ensemble. The next day the boys headed to Pinjarra and performed on the Youthtopia Stage with Andrew Winton. The performance went extremely well and the boys were rewarded for all their efforts by mingling backstage with the John Butler Trio afterwards.

Later in the year during the July school holidays, the boys will be heading off to perform at the International Festival of Voices in Tasmania. They will have the opportunity to attend workshops with some of Australia's greatest vocalists and choral directors, as well as having the opportunity to perform at various locations around Hobart.

Jenny Sullivan

Middle School Music