In the July school holidays, 69 members of the College Concert Band and eight staff attended the 32^nd Australian International Music Festival 2024 in Sydney. The tour was an incredible experience for all. Over our time there, we had the absolute pleasure of performing at the prestigious Sydney Opera House and Darling Harbour. We gained new insight and perspective from a workshop with Christian College Geelong and made friends with musicians from all around the world. This hard work was not without its rewards, as we received Gold for how well we played our adjudicated pieces. We also took the opportunity to explore Sydney with plenty of sightseeing to places such as Luna Park, St Mary’s Cathedral, the Sydney Tower Eye, Taronga Zoo and many more!

On behalf of all the students, we would like to thank all of the staff who gave up their holiday time to support us in Sydney. Thank you Mr Leak, Mrs Cole, Mrs D’Esposito, Mr Panizza, Miss Hynes, and Miss March-Anthony. All of your efforts are greatly appreciated, and the trip definitely wouldn’t have been as smooth sailing without all of you. In particular, I would like to thank Mrs Flower and our incredible Tour Coordinator Mr Milne, for their masterful guidance and encouragement that made the Tour as successful as it was. Thank you for all the laughs and memories, we couldn’t have asked for a better group of teachers to share this once in a lifetime experience with.

We would also like to say a huge thank you to all of the families of the students who flew over with us. For many of the students, to share this amazing experience with their families and a familiar crowd made this trip a treasured memory. Thank you for all the well-wishes, the cheering and for making us all feel a little bit at home.

For the students, this tour was more than just an opportunity to perform as a Concert Band. It was a chance to build lifelong friendships that span across all year groups and strengthen our relationships as a music family. Through this experience, we have all been able to further recognise how lucky we are to be part of the Chisholm Music Programme. We are all extremely proud of our accomplishments during the lead up and on the tour itself, but even more proud that we got to do it all with each other. The immense pride we all share as Chisholm music students truly reflects the way that we build and create together.

We can’t wait for the rest of our performance opportunities this year, to show everyone what we are capable of and to close off an extremely rewarding year of Chisholm music.

Josie Allen – Year 12, Concert Band Captain
Bianca De Mello – Year 12, String Ensemble Captain
Jude D’Souza – Year 12, Showband Captain
Zara Consen – Year 11, Choir Captain