A Resounding Success

Weng Yan Chow, 13P2, stole the stage in a competition of 250 students at the 2015 Young Musicians’ Festival with her stunning rendition of Aaron Copland’s The Cat and The Mouse. She was awarded the title of Young Musician of the Year due to the “intelligence, energy, conviction and dexterity” of her performance according to judge Bethan Clarke.

Throughout the evening students continued to impress the audience with their musical talents which ranged all the way from the mellow tones of the violin and the piano’s hypnotic lullaby to the teasing notes of the marimba. Mr Nicholson remarked, “We heard such a breadth of music during the festival and that is all credit to the hard work of Sha Tin College students.”

Enpei Zhang, 11G2, echoed this sentiment, saying, “No matter what your musical talent is—whether you’re in a band or play a really obscure instrument or you can sing—anyone can participate.”

A panel of music professionals including Cam Otto, who teaches Music at Renaissance College, Bethan Clarke, a Hong Kong-based musician, and the Sha Tin College teachers Mr. Thornton, Mr. Travers and Mr. Nicholson were tasked with judging the pieces. Mr. Travers described the event as a “joyous evening of high quality performances” that exhibited the “outstanding musical talent we are so proud of at Sha Tin College.” He added that the music department was sent into “a hive of activity” that week as a result.

Photo: Anson Tong

The evening also gave aspiring musicians the chance to perform in front of a large audience and find their way around the stage. “The opportunity to go up there and perform in front of judges, teachers and students,” Lucas Rothwell, 11D2, commented, “is not really an opportunity that you get often, so it’s a good experience to perform in front of people.”

Martha Tin, 11G2, agreed, saying, “It’s a great opportunity for all of these aspiring musicians to show us their talent and to just get a sense of achievement and satisfaction out of it.”

The evening did not fail to impress, with students, parents and faculty members leaving overwhelmed by the sheer multitude of talent our school is home to.

Elena Jim 12G2

See videos (Joshua Lee) and photos (Anson Tong) of the performances.