Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

Recently some cast members from Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat visited Sacred Heart School. This is an extract from the letter we received back from them.

“I would like to express our appreciation to Verdon College for sending some of the very talented cast of the Joseph Production to school yesterday.
Mr Menzies and the students had a huge impact on our Year 5 & 6 students yesterday. Their performance captivated our pupils and they way they interacted with our students was very impressive. Their rapport with our students as they worked in small groups for a question and answer session was outstanding.”

Other staff members comments were:
" What a credit to Verdon they were."
" How talented they were."
" What fine young people they were"

Jazz Fest

Congratulations to our Jazz Band who achieved 2nd place last night i.e. 4 November at the Southland Secondary Schools Jazzfest held at Ascot Park Hotel.

A special congratulations to Emily Mason who achieved best flute player.

Members of the band are : Ben Williams, Patrick Stone, Emily Mason, Darcy Kerr, Amber Hilton, Megan Gooding, Nina Gooding and Daniel Ferguson.

Well done to you all.

Year 7/8 Sing Out

"Let's Get Loud" was the message at the Civic Theatre on Wednesday night! 36 of our year 7 and 8's joined with 5 other Invercargill schools to sing their hearts out for the ILT Sing Out choir. The theme was Diva's celebrating both New Zealand and international women in music. From old classics such as "I Have Loved Me A Man" by Allison Durbin to new hits in the charts like Taylor Swift's "Love Story", the choir did us proud! Led by Miss Sarah Rae (who was even proposed to by a young lad from Salford!) and Mr Michael Buick. The choir was also joined by Invercargill's own Diva"s "Lipstick" which just made the show!

Images of the Music Festival

Sound Quest 2010

Sound Quest 2010 was held last week and Verdon band, Timberland and the Sleezy G's Band, were 3rd place-getters. The groups members are Patrick Wilkes, Patrick Stone and Darcy Kerr. Their prize is an opportunity to record two tracks for the Sound Quest 2010 CD in a studio. They also are invited to perform in Queenstown along with the the other top six bands.

Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Music Composition

Congratulations to Patrick Wilkes on achieving a highly recommended in the nationwide competition for the Sheilah Winn Shakespeare Music Composition. Patrick had to write an original piece that could be accompanying music for one of Shakespeare's plays. The presentation will be at the finale of the Sheilah Winn Festival which is held each year in Wellington during Labour Weekend.

Panache Music Workshop

Panache choir held a workshop on Thursday evening and Friday lead by the talented vocal coach Robert Wiremu. Initially from Flaxmere, Robert is the newly appointed vocal coach at Auckland University. He was a previous member of NZ Secondary Students' Choir and is currently a member of Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir. On top of these achievements he was also a past conductor of NZSSC and currently vocal coach for NZYC.

Panache have been inspired and motivated by Robert during the workshop and the College wish to acknowledge his contribution. Thank you also to Mrs Di Lenihan for organising the event and Mr Menzies for the musical accompaniment.

A short video clip of the workshop

Seussical the Musical

The Verdon production this year is Seussical the Musical

Key dates:

Sunday 2 May: Pack in to Centrestage with a rehearsal mid afternoon / evening

Monday 3 May: Centrestage - rehearsal 9am – 4pm (evening as well if necessary)

Tuesday 4 May: Centrestage - rehearsal 9am – 3pm Dress Rehearsal at 5.30pm

Wednesday 5 May: Centrestage - rehearsal 9am – 3pm Performance at 7.30pm

Thursday 6 May: Performance at 7.30pm
Friday 7 May: Performance at 5pm
Saturday 8 May: Performance at 4pm
Sunday 9 May: Performance at 2pm followed by Pack out of theatre

Seussical - Cast List

Cat in the Hat - Ryan Jones Jojo - Harry Townley Horton - Patrick Collins Gertrude - Olivia King Maizie - Rebecca Lieshout Kangaroo - Amber Hilton Mr Mayor - Tim Lindsay Mrs Mayor - Emily Mason General Schmidt - Kris Leatherby Wickersham Brothers - Jessie Johnson, Connor Chamberlain, Jack Kelly Bird Girls - Holly Harrex, Annah Hennessey, Alice BoyleYertle - Ben Williams The Grinch - Charles More

Ensemble: Taylor Kilsby, Christine Lieshout, Taylor le Breton, Hannah Lieshout, Kameron Corbin, Valu Maka, Greta Melvin, Alex Kitson, William Edwards, Sean Arkless, Shontae Oudhoff, Tegan Goodall, Sean Swain, Henry More, Ben Adam, Harrison Roderique, Kathleen Adams, Travis Oudhoff, Madison Brown, Erica Forde, Jack King, Te Rauhinga Pikia, Clarke le Breton, Daniel Ferguson, Jack Townley, Ryan Faithful, Michael Kelly, Meg Prendegast, Eilish Duggan, Katherine Edwards, Emma Morton, Melissa Webb, Emily Lough, Jacinta Farrelly, Grace Dowling

Jazz Fest 2009

Thank you to all the staff, students and family who were able to support our students at the Jazz Festival on Wednesday. The students really appreciated the strong community presence.
The Verdon Swingers were placed third. Our students also received some special awards.

• Best Bass Player Darcy Kerr
• Best Strings/Flutes/Clarinets Tim Lindsay and Patrick Wilkes

The evening was a showcase of musical talent and our students can be justifiably proud of their performance.

Jazz Band Performs at Assembly

The College Jazz Band performed at assembly in the preparation for the Southland Secondary Schools Jazz Festival on Tuesday evening at the Ascot Park Hotel. Baz Macdonald lead the group in a powerful performance. The live audience helped the group prepare for the event.

The annual Jazz Festival is on this Wednesday evening, 7pm, Ascot Park Hotel, Gold coin entry. This year there are seven bands each performing a 15 - 20 minute programme.

Our Jazz Band members are: Braydon Macdonald, Cody Shuttleworth, Tim Lindsay, Patrick Wilkes, Emily Mason, Megan Gooding, Amber Hilton, Renee Tang, Darcy Kerr, Ryan Dyer and Sam Heathcote.

Sing Out Choir

Verdon's Sing Out Choir under the musical direction of Mrs Mason are rehearsing for the up coming event on Wednesday September 16th. The performance is at 7pm at the Civic Theatre.

Verdon College Music Festival 2008

Results:
Junior Instrumental - 1st place - Ben Williams
Junior Vocal - 1st place - Patrick Collins
Intermediate Vocal - 1st place - Emily Mason
Senior Vocal - 1st place - Olivia Canny
Senior Instrumental - 1st place - Tim Lindsay
House Choirs:
1st Place - Dominic
2nd Place - Marian
3rd Place - Marcellin
4th Place - Catherine
Best Accompanist (Piano) - Cody Shuttleworth
Best Conductor - Rosamund More

Panache

Our congratulations to the members of Panache who returned this week from their Sydney trip having been awarded a silver medal at the international music festival. Pictured: Panache Choir entertaining on a Sydney harbour cruise and warming up on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.

Outstanding Achievement

Congratulations to

• Stephanie McRae who has had her poem entitled “The Diamond” published in the Poetry.Com International Collection.

• Zac Vermuelen and Shane Evans who have been awarded the Outward Bound ILT Scholarship. This entitles them to a 3 week outdoor course at Anakiwa in the Marlborough Sounds.

• Vigoroso Vibrato— a.k.a. Tim Lindsay, Patrick Wilks, Cody Shuttleworth and Megan McKelvie, were highly commended for their outstanding performance at the Southland Chamber Music Contest held on 11 June.
  

The Big Sing

On Tuesday evening,June 3rd, the two school choirs, Panache and the Verdon Singers, performed with distinction at the annual Choral Federations Big Sing Southland Regional Finals. Panache won the post 1900 section of the festival. This outstanding achievement gives the choir confidence as they prepare for their Australian Tour later in the term.

"Hemisemidemiquavers"

Congratulations to Tim Lindsay and Patrick Wilkes who as “Hemisemidemiquavers” won their section at the Gold Guitars in Gore at Queen’s Birthday weekend.

Musician captivated the College

Wednesday’s assembly guest was musician Mr Paul Ubana Jones. Paul studied guitar and chello at the London School of Music before launching an international career with his distinctive Jazz – Blues style. Thank you to Mr Alan Dyer, a College parent, who organised for Paul to play to the school and then hold workshops for interested musicians.

Jazz Festival

Congratulations to The Verdon Swingers Jazz Band for their highly successful performance in the Jazz Festival last night. The overall second placing was well deserved. (Wakatipu won again -- but this time only by two points!)

Our individual prize winners were:

• Best Compere -- Olivia Canny
• Best Vocalist -- Olivia Canny
• Best Bass -- Matthew Collins
• Best Saxophone -- Ben Cochrane
• Best Brass -- Lauren Irvine

Thanks to all staff and students who came and supported our group.

St Peter’s Cultural Interchange

80 instrumental and vocal students from St Peter’s and Verdon Colleges joined forces for a “Cultural Interchange” day at First Church, Invercargill at the end of Term 2. The students took part in choral and orchestral workshops throughout the day and presented a short, informal concert in the early evening.

Music Festival

The 2007 Music Festival involved about 200 students taking part in House Choirs and individual instrumental and vocal solos. This is a competitive event and the students perform to an adjudicator and an enthusiastic audience from our school community. This has become an increasingly popular inter-house event in the school’s calendar.