Old Flinderian nurtures young musical talents

(posted 19.05.10)

It’s not every 14-year-old who is invited to premiere a clarinet concerto with the Sunshine Coast Symphony Orchestra.

Matthew Flinders Anglican College Music Scholar Sacha Gibbs-McPhee will perform the 25-minute piece at a special concert to be held at the Caloundra Uniting Church on Sunday, June 6 at 2.30pm. Sacha will have turned 15 just a week earlier, and will celebrate by playing with the Sunshine Coast Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Adrian King.

The clarinet concerto was written by Michael Bakrnchev, 20, a former Flinders student, who is now studying under renowned Australian composer Gerard Brophy at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane.

Michael discovered his passion for music midway through Year 10 thanks to the nurturing of the Flinders Music Department and Head of Music Nick Campbell. After leaving school, he undertook two years study at Toowoomba and this year started a composition major at the Conservatorium.

“The concerto really shows off the clarinet skills,” Michael said. “The fact that Sacha is only 15 and that he learnt the piece in a couple of months is astonishing. It’s too hard for me to play.”

Year 10 student Sacha, who is also a member of the Australian Youth Orchestra Young Symphonists, is taking the challenge in his stride although he does admit “it’s harder than most concertos”.

Sacha will be among the Flinders’ Music Scholars to perform at a special concert at the College on Friday night (May 21). The 2011 Music Scholarship winners Mai Yamanaka and Jordan Russell, a current Flinders Year 9 student, will also perform, as well as the inaugural Principal’s Scholarship winner Lee Bryant.

As a composer, Michael finds it is an interesting perspective to be able to listen to his piece being played and conducted by others.

Over the past couple of months Michael has travelled from Brisbane each Thursday to his old Buderim school to collaborate with Sacha and assist with rehearsals of the College’s Stage Band.

Michael composed a Big Band piece, The Cleaning Lady Blues, which was a featured piece at the Empire Theatre in Toowoomba during a Rhonda Burchmore concert last October.

Inspired by the cleaning ladies at college whose “hours were getting shorter and pay was getting shorter”, Michael turned the real-life dramas into a striking Big Band number.

His piece will be performed by the Flinders Stage Band at the St Paul’s 50th Anniversary Jazz on the Lawn concert in Brisbane on Sunday, May 23. The Stage Band will present a number of pieces at the jazz celebration, under the baton of Band Master John Thomas. Michael will step in as guest conductor for The Cleaning Lady Blues.

The Flinders’ Music Program provides valuable performance opportunities for students. The College Chorale performed at the Anglican Schools Conference held at Twin Waters earlier this month, and will be special guest at the Sunshine Coast Choral Festival on May 29.

During the June/July holidays, nearly 100 students from Years 7 to 12 in the Stage Band, Wind Symphony, College Chorale and College String Orchestra will travel to Canberra for the annual Music Tour. The young musicians will perform at the Great Hall at Parliament House and present special concerts at a regional venue, Young.

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