It’s Performance Time!

8 May 2013Mr. Phil Newns, Director of Music

3rd term at Brentwood is always our busiest for concert and festival performances. 2013 has been no exception.

We started on April the 7th with a community outreach show at the St. John’s Church in Cobble Hill featuring our Concert Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, “Tonic Fusion”, and soloists in a 90 minute concert. The church showered us with praise and accolades and it was a feel-good show for everyone.

On April the 8th our Guitar Ensemble performed at the Victoria Festival and was well received by their adjudicator. Our Concert Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensemble followed on April the 15th and, as a result, were invited to perform at the Victoria Highlights Concert. The following day, our Jazz Band performed at the Victoria Festival to a very positive adjudication.

April 17th saw our Concert Choir performing at the West Coast Concert Choir Festival at Oak Bay High School where they received a Superior Gold rating and an invitation to the Nationals. Not to be outdone, the Pops Orchestra travelled to Port Alberni the next day and received an “Excellent” ranking from the adjudicators.

Then it was off to the Sun Peaks festival, near Kamloops, for the Pops Orchestra and Jazz Band, where both groups received a Silver ranking for their performances.
Although it was a long drive by coach, there was lots of camaraderie and good times had by all.

On April 25th, the Concert Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensemble performed at the Victoria Highlights Festival where the Concert Choir came away with the Gardner Shield once again, while the Vocal Jazz Ensemble was awarded the Adjudicators Award of Excellence.  

The end of April saw our rock bands doing duty during our annual Regatta, perfecting their “licks” to a receptive and appreciative audience. In May the rock bands went on their annual pilgrimage to the Woodshop Recording Studios north of Duncan to lay down their tracks for a CD – available soon at your local school store.

On May 2nd, the Jazz Band travelled to the West Coast Jazz Festival in Nanaimo garnishing Superior Gold and an invitation to the Nationals. Our Vocal Jazz Ensemble – “Tonic Fusion” performed at the same festival on May 3rd, receiving a Silver ranking and an invitation to the Nationals.

Next on the horizon is Musicfest Canada, an invitation-only celebration of the best instrumental and vocal groups in the country – and our Concert Choir and Vocal Jazz Ensemble will be flying to Toronto next Tuesday, May 14th to participate along with 10,000 other young musicians. We wish them all the best as they represent Brentwood at the Nationals.
All of these award-winning groups can be seen in action in our year-end concert – “Concert for a Summer’s Eve” on June 7th in the T. Gil Bunch Theatre. Directors of these groups include Phil Newns, Elizabeth MacIsaac and Scott McGill.

Mr. Phil Newns, Director of Music