Late last term six students from Bedgerabong School had the experience of a lifetime performing onstage in the main concert hall of the Sydney Opera House.
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After a successful audition for the NSW Small Schools Marimba Ensemble in March, Airlie Bird, Isabella Brown, Halle Brown, Holly Purcival, Lizzy Stewart and Paula Terrado had spent many months preparing for their big performance – along with 30 students from five other small schools from across the North Coast and North West of NSW.
Performing in the Endeavour Concert which forms part of the Festival of Choral Music the Small Schools Marimba Ensemble wowed the crowd with their colourful and energetic performance of Intombi Yambi.
Having never played as a group prior to their trip to Sydney, the girls met up with the rest of the group for their one and only combined rehearsal at Bondi Junction plaza where they entertained crowds for hours on end, before taking some time to see the sights of Sydney and get to know their fellow marimba players a bit better.
A ride on the Manly Ferry, lunch on Manly Beach, visits to Sydney Tower, The Australian Museum, Luna Park, The NSW Library and Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre all taken in their stride in the lead up to the big performance on stage in front of a full house of over 2000 people.
“I am very proud of the children and the quality of their performance,” Principal of Bedgerabong School Paul Faulkner said.
“The Opera House opportunity gives us another avenue to promote the skills of our players aside from local eisteddfods or visits to community events and offers the children something to strive for - certainly not an every day experience on stage in front of so many people in such an iconic place.”
A sample of the performance can be found on the Bedgerabong School’s Facebook page if you are interested or you can see the kids live at the Christmas Carnival in Forbes later this year.