Generations In Jazz
From the 6th- 8th of May the Playford International College Vocal Ensemble once again competed in Generations in Jazz, a music festival and competition held in Mount Gambier.
This year we stayed in Port McDonnell, a small coastal town approximately 20 minutes out of Mount Gambier. Upon arriving students had the opportunity to explore the area by going for a walk down the main street and on the beach. After spending some time exploring, staff and students attended a welcome concert at the James Morrison Pavilion in Mount Gambier. The concert featured various Jazz soloists and ensembles including; James Morrison, Ross Irwin, The Idea of North and Kate Cebrano. The concert was inspiring for both staff and students and was a fantastic start to the weekend.
On Saturday the Vocal Ensemble competed in the Division 3 Vocal Ensemble Awards competition singing two pieces, “This Old Man” and “Hush Little Baby.” They performed for an audience and were adjudicated by Idea of North member Nick Begbie and Vocal Jazz soloist Olivia Chindamo. All students performed to a very high standard and placed 9th out of 29 schools, and 4th out of the South Australian Schools in our division. This is a tremendous achievement and all students should be extremely proud of the work they put into their performance. After competing we listened to a range of other Vocal Ensembles and Stage Bands. This was a great learning opportunity for all students.
On Saturday evening staff and students attended a second concert. This concert included the same performers as the Friday evening it also included the winning division 1 ensembles from 2015. The concert was absolutely outstanding and gave the students the opportunity to listen to some world class Jazz Soloists and Ensembles.
On Sunday morning we travelled back to the James Morrison Pavilion where students participated in a vocal workshop run by The Idea of North. The Idea of North discussed various vocal warmups and techniques. They also worked with students to explore improvisation and singing in the Jazz style. After the workshop we began the bus trip back to Adelaide.
All students should be commended for the way they presented themselves and behaved over the course of the weekend and we look forward to continuing to rehearse and perform in the Jazz style.
