Grace Elliot named Musician of the Year 2022

We are delighted to announce that Year 12 student Grace Elliot was awarded the prestigious Catherine McAuley College (CMC) Musician of the Year Award at our annual solo performance concert and competition on 1 September.

Nineteen performers from Years 7 – 12 took to the stage for this major event in our annual performance calendar, impressing the audience with the breadth of instruments, styles and genres.

Grace sang and accompanied herself on guitar, performing an acoustic arrangement of Dear Rosemary by the Foo Fighters. With many excellent performances, the decision was a difficult one for the adjudicators. Lachlan Eadie (Year 9) was awarded second prize, playing his own composition Ballad of the Goose on electric guitar, with a multi-instrumental backing track that he recorded and produced. Kiara Clarke (Year 12) received third prize for her saxophone performance of Estilian Caprice by Gene Paul.

The adjudicators also presented two Emerging Artist Awards. Olivia Karamaloudis (Year 10) sang Take it All by Adele, accompanying herself on  piano and Oliver Sexton (Year 10) sang The View from Here, from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with words by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Scott Wittman.

The enthusiastic audience was also delighted to hear performances from three alumni, who had been regular participants in the Musician of the Year event, Sam Angove, Jacob Darlow and Harrison Jenner.

Adjudicators Ms Cynthia Holsworth and Mr Michael Goss provided insightful feedback to all of our performers, and the students received detailed notes from our adjudicators and instrumental music teachers, which they can take back to help improve their craft.

Mr Matthew Angove, Acting Deputy Principal – Learning and Teaching, said: “It is so valuable to have events such as this evening, where students can showcase their hard work and dedication to a craft that is mostly done in private. We know that dedication to learning music helps students in all of their studies. It is great to see so many students across our college demonstrate their aptitude at instrumental performance, and performance in general, to such a high standard. The Musician of the Year evening reflected this hard work. It was inspiring to experience such a variety of genres and instrumental performances to such a high standard.”

“The performance experience was a valuable part of the night, giving students a sense of the energy and poise needed on stage. Of course, it was also good for them to practise managing their nerves when performing.”

“Tonight’s concert is a credit to the commitment of the students, their families and the dedication of their teachers.”

This event is only one on our College’s busy performing arts calendar. The music program at CMC is growing exponentially. With a burgeoning instrumental co-curricular program, students have a wealth of opportunities to develop their performance skills, including bands, guitar ensembles and choirs.

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