School News

TONES &I

We had an incredible day at Tintern Grammar on Wednesday 29 March with a surprise visit by Tones and I, who performed for our Junior School students.

Year 6 student Coby Ashman had successfully auditioned to feature in Tones and I’s latest video clip. He played the role of her little brother and to thank Coby, Tones and I contacted Tintern to visit the School to perform for us to say thank you.

The Junior School students all assembled in CM Wood Performance Centre under the pretence of an Easter Assembly.  As Mr Kenny played some of Tones and I’s music he had all the students chanting ‘Tones’, then she appeared from behind the room divider, to screams of joy.  She performed live Dance Monkey and Fly Away with our students (and staff) up and dancing. Then previewed her soon-to-be-released song that Coby featured in. 

So generous with her time she answered questions from our students and shared messages of resilience, kindness and respect. She presented Coby with a signed and framed photo and gave Coby her pink sunglasses that he wore in an interview with Channel 9 news that aired on both the 4pm and 6pm News. The story also appeared in The Herald-Sun and Leader too. A reverse surprise was organised by KIIS FM the next day where they interviewed Coby by phone on their morning show.

Foundation Service

Thank you to those who attended our Foundation Service on Friday 3 February 2023.

Thank you to our special guests, Laura Driessen (Class of 2010), Gavin Choong (Class of 2018), Lynne Franke (Bernadou Class of 1958) and Lyn Bartold (Past Staff).

We are grateful to our many VIP guests who attended both the service and morning tea, including four former Tintern Vice Principals.

FOE Horse Trials – A wonderful success!

On Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 March Tintern Grammar held the annual Tintern Interschool Horse Trials at the Shirley Heights Equestrian Centre, Gladysdale. The weather was perfect for the event with both days being cool and dry.

The Friends of Equestrian Committee, along with the Tintern staff and the team at Shirley Heights did a fantastic job preparing for and conducting the event. There was a calm and positive atmosphere throughout the weekend with all competitors in the three disciplines of dressage, show jumping and cross country, enjoying the competition.

There were 126 entries into the competition from 50 schools across Victoria. Tintern had three riders competing in the event. Congratulations to Alyssa Carter (Yr 12), Saskia Jackson Smith (Yr 12) and Millie Harvey (Yr 10) on their performances over the weekend. Congratulations to the overall team winners and team spirit winners, Yarra Valley Grammar. 

Thank you to the Friends of Equestrian Committee who volunteered countless hours of their time to ensure that the event ran smoothly and was enjoyable for the competitors. a special thank you to Keeley Thomas (Class of 2022) who was an integral part of the team.

Thank you to our officials from Equestrian Australia, Technical Delegates, judges, and course designers for each discipline, who ensured that the competition was run according to the rules and regulations. Thank you also to the Friends of Music, who supported the event by running a delicious BBQ, the Tintern Facilities Team, Ash Viney, the FOE Co-ordinator and Di Lacey from the Community Relations team.

Chicago

Our student performers of Chicago the musical delivered an outstanding performance that left the audience mesmerised. The cast’s energy and charisma were infectious, and they were able to transport the audience into the era of Chicago’s roaring twenties. The lead performers had a wonderful command over their voices and danced with precision, creating an atmosphere of glamour and glitz.

The orchestration, stage design and lighting were vibrant and created mood and excitement that showcased our actors and dancers.  The orchestra played flawlessly providing atmosphere and accompaniment of the famous songs from Chicago such as All That Jazz and Cell Block Tango.  All songs were performed with remarkable passion and energy, lifting the audience in raptures with applause.

Overall, Tintern Grammar’s production of Chicago the musical was a feast for the senses. The cast, staging, lighting, and music all came together to create a memorable theatrical experience. Congratulations to the production team and actors who should be commended for their hard work, determination, and dedication to bring such an iconic show to life.

Our audiences left each of the four shows raving about this brilliant performance – it was truly a triumph! We look forward to future Performing Arts Productions. 

Below is a report by Performing Arts Captain Katie Howell

Over last week, Tintern’s cast and crew of Chicago the Musical have dazzled the audiences with four specular nights of glitz, glamour and all that jazz.

The show opens with Velma Kelly, vaudeville star and sometimes murderer introducing us to the world of 1920s Chicago in All That Jazz. Ella Jones brought this scintillating sinner to life with a passion and determination that inspired us all. During this number we meet Roxie Hart, an arrogant, stubborn, and egotistical woman who dreams of being a jazz singer. Natasha Gillam shone in this role, showcasing her vocal strength in her first number Funny Honey. Her commitment to portraying Roxie brought depth to her motives and an emotional vulnerability that blew us all away. Soon arrested for the murder of Fred Casely (Will Storey), she meets the Merry Murderesses of the Cook County Jail – brought to life by none other than Sarah Zhu as Liz, Scarlett O’Connor as Annie, Emily Stokes as June, Ellena Glenk as Hunyak and Katie Howell as Mona. The Mistress of Murderesses Row is no easy job, but with the entire city in her back pocket she’ll do you a favour, if you do one for her. Matron ‘Mama’ Morton played with gusto by Ashley Honan, who may seem like a nice warden, but this friendliness comes at a price. As she sings in her show stopping number, When You’re Good to Mama – you do one for Mama, she’ll do one for you. When threatened with ‘the maximum penalty’ Roxie is introduced to Billy Flynn, best criminal lawyer in all of Chicago. Lachlan Smith brought a fresh take to every scene, always keeping everyone on their toes. Not only can he spin a story any jury would buy, he can hold a note for an inconceivably long time and these talents were combined in the number Both Reached for the Gun where Billy creates puppets out of the reporters, especially Mary Sunshine (Isabella Di Felice), convincing them of everything he says. Roxie’s naïve and loving husband, Amos Hart played by Liam Rosewarne can never say no, and no matter how badly he is treated he remains loyal. Amos quickly gains audience sympathy, culminating in his performance of Mr Cellophane where he sings about the pain of feeling see through. Throughout the whole show, Scar Wild delivers a memorable performance as Master of Ceremonies, announcing each song and building a rapport with the audience.

The show would not be complete without Sean Harris as Sergeant Fogarty, Alex Wong as Reporter/Aaron/Police Officer, Carren Zhu as the Judge, Madeleine Jennings as Court Clerk, Lucy Ryan Wilson as Kitty, Dan Thompson as Juror 1, Adrian Bisignano as Harry, and Brayden Mallet as Martin Harrison. Each and every one of them put in great and dedicated performances and the show wouldn’t be the same without them.

The band did a wonderful job this year, conducted by Mrs Clarke and Mrs Bezaire on alternating nights. They were given the unique challenge of playing on stage – which they well and truly met, stealing the show.

Throughout the last six months of rehearsals, our cast and crew have bonded over this incredible show and we’re so proud of everyone involved and the amount of effort they put in. These connections were crucial to the final performance we produced, and we’ve created lifelong friendships and memories we’ll never forget. And of course, none of this would have been possible without the direction of Karl, who came in at the start of the year and guided us to our opening night with insightful creativity, Vince, whose artistic direction kicked off the show and we would not be here without and the constant behind the scenes work of Min, as well as all the teachers backstage and in the band for the hard work they put into creating this show.

Katie Howell | Year 11

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