Music Mania - a musical feast
The Boys' Prep Senior Choir performing "Fame" at the event. Photo courtesy of Evan Snyman
Music mania was an incredible showcase of the talent that is within Saints. Not only did it showcase the school's talented musicans, it showcased talented organisers in the Boys' Prep staff, and talented MCs in the Boys' Prep students. The show was held on the evening of 8 October 2015 at Mears Hall. It is an annual event that is aimed at showcasing musical talent from across the campus. This ensured that the performers played a range of instruments, a mix of classical and contemporary pieces, and there was mix of solo, ensemble, and group performances.
Each year, the logistical and organisational aspects of the evening are the responsibility of the different St Stithians schools. This year's music Mania was the responsibility of the Boys' Prep. As a result, the opening was done by Boys' Prep head Mr Jakes Fredericks. Of the evening, Jakes said: "As I said last night, music feeds the soul and Music Mania allowed us to feast on a variety of music from around the school."
Mr Jakes Fredericks, Boys' Prep head, welcoming attendees and performers to Music Mania
The first performance of the evening was by the College Orchestra. They performed a classical adaptation of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing." The song has recently enjoyed a revival due to its use in the popular Emmy award-winning TV show Glee. The evening ended with a well-deserved show of gratitude to all of the music teachers whose time, care, and skills helped nurture the young musical talent we all saw at the show.
No Strings Attached, of the Boys' College, performing Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'"
The music was a lovely range of classical and contemporary: there were performances of pieces by Gabriel Govlez, Edvard Grief, Frank Sinatra, Adele, Michael Jackson, and Andrew Lloyd Webber. There were arrangements by Saints music teachers Mike Sibanda and Magalane Potshoko. Also, an isiZulu lullabye was also performed.
The Girls' College Choir gave an animated performance of Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us"
The show consisted of performances by the College Orchestra, The Girls' Prep Orchestra, the Duke of Cornwall singers, the Boys' College Choir, the Boys' College Marimba Band, the Boys' Prep Trumpet Ensemble, the Girls' College Saxes of Note group, the Girls' College djembe drummers, the Girls' Prep Marimba Band, the Junior Prep Choir, No Strings Attached (a Saxophone ensemble from the Boys' College), the Boys' Prep Marimba Band, the Girls' Prep Nonyani Choir, the Boys' Prep Senior Choir, the Girls' College Choir and soloists from the Boys' Prep, Girls' Prep, Boys' College, and Girls' College.
The Girls' Prep Nonyani Choir performing Ella Henderson's "Ghost"
Some performances included some animations and dramatisations that had the audience ululating, clapping, shouting for joy, and laughing. Often, you could hear the audience astounded at the musical talents of the performers. The hall was filled with supportive family and friends and this is always a delight to see. We are incredibly grateful for all our fantastic Saints families who always support the school and the work of our students.
The Junior Prep Choir performing Omi's "Cheerleeder"
Perhaps, the most popular song at the show was "Cheerleader" by Omi as it was performed by both the Girls' Prep Marimba Band and the Junior Prep Choir. This was a wonderful testament to the talent at the school – while there were two performances of the same song, each performance had its own flair and musicality.
A Boys' College singer performing at the show. Photo courtesy of Evan Snyman
There were many people involved in making Music Mania a seamless showcase of talent and every single person involved is to be commended.
We look forward to the 2016 edition of Music Mania.
