On Wednesday, 5 June, five groups of 22 Westlake Girls and Boys students competed at the 60th annual New Zealand Chamber Music Contest (NZCT). The competition allows high school students in New Zealand to perform in a small, unconducted ensemble and enjoy playing music together. This year, Westlake had a variety of combinations of instruments, including strings, winds, piano, saxophone, and voice.
For us, the Ururoto Piano Quartet, our chosen piece was Bagatelles, Op.47 by Antonín Dvořák, Movements I, III and V. One of the most challenging aspects of this piece was ensuring a good balance between each instrument part, as well as cohesiveness in certain sections.
Preparation for the competition included weekly rehearsals on a Wednesday morning, listening to the piece, practising in our own time and communicating with each other, especially when the performance date was moving closer. Doing so required us to be comfortable, willing to learn and committed to the music in our practices and performances.
This was a memorable experience for us in our last year of high school, as it was one of the first times we have had an opportunity to play as a group outside of the classroom. We enjoyed the experience and would highly recommend it to future students who have not yet had the chance to play in a smaller ensemble setting.
Thank you to Ms Lee and Mrs Wilson for giving us this opportunity and guidance. We wouldn’t have taken up this opportunity without your support.
Ururoto Piano Quartet
Emily Chen, Moira Araullo, Emily Chong, Mulan Riseborough