STUDENT ACHIEVEMENTS
Primary and Secondary Winter Celebrations
Primary Winter Concert
We welcomed winter in the warmth of live concerts and audiences after a four-year freeze of community celebrations. Musicians, singers, performers, conductors, teachers and guests from Primary School awakened this seasonal tradition in the Auditorium on November 28.
It was absolutely delightful to see our young students excitedly and nervously assembling for the show. Many of them were experiencing their first live performance in their Primary school life. The evening was a brilliant showcase of the artistic diversity nurtured across all ages in Primary.
The concert opened with a repertoire of all-time Christmas favorites including “Twinkle”, “Jolly Old St. Nicholas” and “Jingle Bells” by the Grade 5 band. That was a bold performance as over 40% of the musicians were new to their instruments only 12 weeks before the concert! The full band from woodwind, brass, string to percussion players presented the most quickly learned pieces in impressive harmony.
Grade 1 to 3 choir members were dressed most festively as they sang merrily the holiday classics of “Silver Bells” and “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree”.
The CCA orchestra performed the expressive arrangement of “Anvil Chorus” from the famous Italian opera Il Trovatore and then musically depicted a happy winter mood with joyful melodies from strings.
Grade 4 and Grade 5 orchestras followed to bring in the iconic winter scenes through fun pieces of “The Skaters Waltz”, “Frosty the Snowman” and “Jingle Bell Rock”, as well as a version of the Sugar Plum fairy music from the famous Nutcracker ballet.
Grade 4 band and the drama students greeted the audience in videos that previewed much anticipated performances in Spring and June next year.
“Let’s Make the World a Happy Place” as Grade 5 CCA choir concluded the concert. Everyone in the audience was brought together in the cheerful finale of “Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. As delivered by Dr. Malcolm Pritchard in his closing remarks, ISF is certainly a happier place this year!
Secondary Winter Arts Show
Secondary School celebrated winter in the realms of the arts from instrumental music, original compositions, vocals, theatre to visual art on December 7. After a protracted period of absence from live performances, students returned to the Auditorium with explosive energy to captivate an eager audience.
An impressive IBDP art exhibition led the way from the Auditorium Foyer. The exhibition featured pieces created by IBDP Visual Arts students who used mixed media and various techniques to express self-identities, memories, family relationships, friendships through an artful lens.
The curtain raised to present the ISF Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Balletto detto “Il Conte Orlando”, followed by “Raiders March” by the ISF Chamber Ensemble and “Hungarian Dance No. 5” by the ISF String Quartet. Aside from classical, the Jazz Combo sent sensory vibes with the song “All of Me”, while the ISF Academy Choir sang angelically “Lula, Song of the Drought” and “Enjoy the Storm”. Despite being the first public showing for many students, their performances were powerfully emotional and gallant, made possible by a strong sense of commitment and collaboration.
A unique component of the night was introduced by Grade 12 student Irwin Sung, when his piece of original music composition was played synchronously with a stunning line-up of visual artworks by Secondary students. The audience was spellbound by how the melodic movement and tension flowed along with the emotions reflected in the art pieces.
Grade 9 students interlaced the program with three Greek-style Theatre play. They offered an immersive experience for many in audience, engagingly introducing this type of performing arts through the plays “Beautiful Burnout” by Bryony Lavery, “How like a winter hath my absence been” from Shakespeare’s Sonnet 97, and “People – Old News” by Hanyu. The articulative Grade 9 students transformed these literary works with animated acting and finesse.
The ISF Academy Concert Band played the finale of “Evening Prayer” and “Greasy Kids Rock”. Under rounds of well-deserved warm applause, Dr. Pritchard took the stage to recognize and congratulate all students, parents, teachers and the production crew on a spectacular show, in which we saw the promising future of the arts at ISF.
Secondary Winter Arts Show Highlights
It was wonderful to conclude the first semester of learning in music and communion. We felt marvelous to give spotlight to the remarkable talent, passion and dedication of our students and faculty. As we bring back live productions, we are reminded that the connection and community we build through the arts are as precious as the product itself.
