Report: Annual KBB Music Festival
In the second week of August, Auckland Grammar School was represented by six groups at the annual KBB Music Festival, held at the Holy Trinity Cathedral and St Mary’s Cathedral in Parnell. The groups all performed exceptionally well, with the quality of the awards reflecting their hard work and talent.
The Symphony Orchestra presented a powerful and thought-provoking 2nd movement from Symphony No. 5 by Dmitri Shostakovich and a delightful musical journey through Chocolate Symphony by Maxim Goulet. The Symphony Orchestra was considered a special award for Best Performance of a New Zealand Work by Jenny McLeod’s Three Celebrations for the Orchestra I. Journey through Mountain Parklands and for the Best Performance in New Zealand Work and Best Performance in Romantic Work by N. Rimsky-Korsakov Capriccio Espagnol Op 34, IV, V. The group received a Silver award for their programme of work.
The Premier Concert Band (pictured above) performed three movements from Bohemian Revelry by Adam Gorb – Furiant, Sousedska and Skocna. Each piece brought a different flavour of Bohemian folk music, from the lively and vigorous to the more measured and reflective. Their set culminated in the world premiere of Skydome by Old Boy Ki Hoon Sung ’13. Their set resulted in a well-deserved Silver award.
Performing in St Mary’s Cathedral, the Big Band performed Agua de Beber, an arrangement of Antonio Carlos Jobim’s famous Latin chart. They then played the well-known swing hit I Can’t Stop Loving You. Senior Prefect M. T. Upu took the reins, leading the band in Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely, with a Tenor Saxophone solo. The Big Band’s final piece was an up-tempo rendition of T.O.P. Adjacent, where the audience heard the full tones and abilities of Form 7 student F. G. D. Gardner in his Alto Saxophone solo with S. Ma on guitar. The group received a Bronze Award
Grammar Virtuosi performed Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, Op. 70, III, a beautiful reflection of the composer’s time spent in the enchanting Italian city, then the lively and energetic String Quartet No.12, American by A Dvořák. Douglas Lilburn’s Diversions For String Orchestra I, IV was a delightful exploration of the New Zealand landscape, and was considered for the special award for Best Performance of a New Zealand work. J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, I Allegro was also considered the Best Performance in a Baroque Work. In addition, the group also received a Silver Award.
The Wind Band received a Commended Award for their programme. The group performed Shaftoe’s Hoe-Down by Malcolm Binney, Dance of the Fir Darrig, Joan for the Road by Ferga Carroll and Incandescence by Richard Saucedo.
The developing string ensemble Concertante debuted this year as a non-competitive category. They successfully performed Highlights from Harry Potter by John Williams, Funky Pizzicato by Susan Day, Waltz No. 2 by D. Shostakovich and La vaguelette from Genshin Impact by Hoyo-Mix.