Music Day Report

The Annual GPS Music Day on May 1st provided students from nine GPS schools with an excellent opportunity to put aside traditional rivalries and cooperate through music. Hosted this year by St Joseph’s College – Nudgee, 218 students from the GPS schools performed on the night. 98 students formed the orchestra while 60 combined in the concert band and a further 60 in the choir.

The orchestra rehearsed together under the guidance of John Curro, AM. MBE., (1948-49) founder and director of the Queensland Youth Orchestra at the Old Queensland Museum Concert Hall to an audience of approximately 400. The Nudgee principal Mr Daryl Hanly congratulated the schools on the manner in which they came together as one group and he suggested the combined orchestra was a showpiece for GPS cooperation.

Nudgee Year 12 student and trumpeter, Chris Eisentranger performed in the concert band while Year 10 students, Peter Ridgway, Nicholas Forster and Year 12 student James Laubscher, a member of Brisbane band Wipsnade Zoo, sang in the choir.

Mr Brad Voltz, the Music Day organizer and Head of Music at the College said with justifiable pride that Nudgee had a slight edge over other schools because it is the only school in Australia which offers a Certificate IV in Music.

Nudgee Old Boy musicians present included five times ARIA winner Peter Murray (1986-87) and composer and music director Richard Mills (1981-85).