DSG and St Andrew’s College Music Tour
The Diocesan School for Girls and St Andrew’s College are brother and sister schools in Grahamstown which have a unique co-instruction model. As well as sharing co-ed classes from Grades 10 to 12, their music school is a completely shared facility. The musicians of the D.R. Wynne Music School, as their joint facility is known, will be on tour and passing through George this weekend, having travelled the depths of the Karoo and Graaff-Reinet. The music school is known for its emphasis on diversity and the line up of ensembles illustrates this. Two choirs, a choir formed from the two chapel choirs which serve the respective school chapels and a chamber choir, made up of senior students present a vocal programme at each concert. A small wind ensemble performs a diverse repertoire, which gives more than a nod to the jazz tradition. The largest ensemble is the Senior Orchestra, and the smallest the Rock Band. The two are certainly not in competition and occasionally collaborate with certain works. However, it is not the Rock Band that joins the orchestra on the stage this tour, but several pipers from the St. Andrew’s College Pipe Band, the group that upholds the bagpipe tradition at the school. At school, the Pipe Band forms the core of the Retreat ceremony, held every October at the school and plays at special occasions and services of remembrance. All of these groups perform on tour, illustrating the exciting variety of music available to young people today. On Saturday, they will perform in George for the residents of the R.L.R Retirement Home and at the George Arts Theatre on Saturday 21st August at 19h30. Entrance is free.
