Chamber music

 Chamber music is alive in Wanganui - Lisa, Jeanli and Ivan Boessenkool are seen here performing for invited guests at their home in preparation for the Chamber Music Competition which was held at Collegiate School this week. (Incidentally, these three have two younger siblings - Liam, who plays the cello and Hannah who comes to the author for violin and piano lessons)

The two aforementioned younger siblings will no doubt be incorporated into varying combinations of instruments for chamber music ensembles, just as soon as they are old enough. They are already competent enough.

This lassie played her cello both at the Chamber Music Competition as well as at the High School Cultural Variety performance held on Wednesday evening this week at the Wanganui  Royal Opera House - I kid you not, we dink um have a genu-ine Royal Opera house in our town, complete with an upstairs gallery and red plush seats! The front facade of the building boasts several impressive gold columns holding the roof up!
On that score, the audience did quite well with the 'cool cultural' stuff, but the cello and piano number and the four lads on brass instruments were not as well received as the half naked dance numbers - it figures.

 Lisa is preparing for her final examination on the piano and played a forty minute recital - we were treated to Beethoven's Pathetique and a Bach Prelude and Fugue as well as a Prokofiev and a most interesting work by Faure.
I was most impressed with how well the 'littlies' coped with sitting still and listening to this advanced music!  Bodes really well for the future. It was a great evening of music with a bit of cheese and wine thrown in - the perfect way to enjoy a taste of the Big B's.

 This group is a combination of students from Wanganui High School and Wanganui Home Educators. Centre stage is Ida on the viola who has her piano lessons with the author and who is home schooled. The other three are at the local high school. If any of you out there are contemplating taking up a stringed orchestral instrument - consider the viola before the violin - they are always in demand and in my humble opinion, have a much better sound (especially in the beginning 'dying cat' stages) Sort of a happy medium, since the cello is just so gorgeous, but such a mission to lug around.

These three lassies played their Sax's at the Competition - as you can see, there is no shortage of young ladies willing to push the boundaries and take up an instrument that maybe fifty years ago, was not deemed to be 'appropriate' for a young lady to play! These three made some noise - their chamber group being aptly named "Heavy Metal"
We have so enjoyed getting a feel for what is happening on the 'serious side' of music in our town.

Dis al!