Kyabram and Tongala year 5 and 6 students were among the 350 Catholic school performers who were involved in a five-school Festival of the Sacred concert at the Allan St facility.
More than 70 St Augustine’s students were involved in the music festival, which included a three-hour tutorial and rehearsals before the hour-long concert.
Catholic Education Sandhurst co-ordinated the Festival of the Sacred event, while tutors from the Australian School of Performing Arts (ASPA) put the final touches on the work they had been completing on a regular basis with the students.
Parents and a selected group of official guests attended the show, which was a partnership between the national performing arts school and the Catholic education organisation.
They have been working together for 14 years and have produced several outstanding performers, including Echuca’s Lewis Beer, who was understudy as the Lion in a Melbourne stage show of The Wizard of Oz.
The festival embraces all elements of performing arts, singing, dancing and theatre.
Catholic Education Sandhurst arts education officer Claire Spinelli has spent the past seven years in her role.
“Most of the tutors the kids are learning from are triple threats, they can sing, dance and act. Most have also been in Australian Girls Choir,” she said.
“They have visited the schools four times during the term, allowing the students to learn their parts in the concert.”
Each school had its own act and there were concert items involving all schools.
The schools involved were St Brendan’s at Shepparton, St Augustine’s College Kyabram, St Patrick’s at Tongala, St Mary’s Rushworth and Mooroopna’s St Mary’s Primary School.
St Augustine’s students Sarah Mott sang Oceans in a solo performance and schoolmate Izayiah Ryan performed Sway.
Lead singers: St Patrick’s Primary School Tongala students Amelie Dalton and Isla Fitzgerald perform during the Festival of the Sacred. Their school was among five involved in the performing arts event.
Soloist: Sarah Mott from St Augustine’s College performs Oceans at the Festival of the Sacred concert in Kyabram last week.
Swing and sing: Isla Fitzgerald, Caleb Greenshields, Jacob Henderson and Shila Cleveland during the rehearsal component of the Festival of the Sacred. There were individual school performances and songs which involved all 350 students from the five Catholic schools.
Song and dance: Alby Halstead and Max Hausler are front and centre at the event, which has a 14-year history.
Follow the leader: Teacher Michelle Hicks conducts St Mary’s Mooroopna students at the Festival of the Sacred.