After enjoying Canberra Youth Orchestra’s concert, “A Musical Celebration”, at Llewellyn Hall on December 5, “CityNews” music writer IAN McLEAN*, reflects on the evolution of the CYO’s musical parent, Music for Canberra.

MUSIC for Everyone and Canberra Youth Music merged in 2015 to form (the perhaps mostly unknown) Music for Canberra.

It is aimed at offering Canberra’s largest program of instrumental, ensemble and orchestral tuition along with providing workshops, varied musical experiences and performance opportunities.

While the young marriage of organisations has struggled to establish a new identity, “A Musical Celebration” proved that it is artistically on track to meet its aims to encourage people of any age (from 18 months in the “Music Play” group) to take up an instrument or to sing and so experience the joy and benefits that music can offer.

Tuition is available in either individual or group lessons for all orchestral instruments as well as hand drumming, guitar, recorder, ukulele and, of course, voice.

While the COVID-19 shadow has curtailed public performance, MFC has been innovative in supplying lessons via Zoom and, as restrictions have eased, smaller sections of ensembles have gathered to explore new repertoire and to strengthen group cohesion.

“A Musical Celebration” was the first major public outing since the virus crisis and it was a festive day of music making.

Besides the evening Canberra Youth Orchestra concert I attended, there was an early afternoon concert by the four MFC string ensembles featuring the delightful tiny tots of the Camerata Strings through to the experienced Peg Mantle Strings.

These groups are all directed and coached by some of Canberra’s finest string players, most long-term members of the Canberra Symphony Orchestra. In fact, a glance the tutorial staff list indicates that MFC has a most enviable list of teachers in its employ throughout its entire instrumental program.

The James McCusker Orchestra combined with the Canberra Children’s Choir (with Tobias Cole at the helm) to present a 4.30pm concert that featured musical offerings as varied as “Pictures at an Exhibition” to selections from the “Dark Knight” and John Williams “Jurassic Park” film score. CYO then occupied the evening time slot.

In order to showcase the intense concentration on intricate section development undertaken during COVID-19, the concert commenced with individual pieces from the strings, then winds, then brass. Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No 3 from the strings produced good balance, solid and well in-tune tonal quality and fine interpretation of rhythmic patterns.

While the slow second movement exposed some intonation shortcomings, the winds were neat and clean and very comfortable with the rapid rhythms demands of the Marteau “Serenade” and the brass were particularly impressive with dynamic control as they backed piano accordion virtuoso Anton Wurzer in a series of three tangos.

Next the entire orchestra gathered on stage as four soloists presented a movement each from a concerto. While all four were very good, a couple of real stars of the future may well have been discovered.With beautiful tonal quality Zoe Loxley-Slump (a student of Megan Pampling) gave an inspired presentation of a movement from the Bellini Oboe Concerto, while the lush and deeply rich sound from the cello of James Monro filled Llewellyn Hall in a riveting performance of the Tchaikovsky “Pezzo Capriccioso”.

The rousing Arturo Marquez “Danzon No 2” completed a fine musical evening. Conductor Rowan Harvey-Martin has melded this group of fine young musicians into an impressive ensemble. With musicians of her calibre (just this past week she won a Canberra Critics Circle Award for her work in a Llewellyn Choir/Canberra Girls Grammar School concert) providing the artistic integrity and expertise these young players will continue to develop.

The contribution from MFC to musical development in Canberra may not be as well known as yet as it should be, but I would make a strong recommendation after seeing and hearing this concert.

A perusal of musicforcanberra.org.au could well open the door to discovery of whole new world surrounding the magic of music.

Ian McLean was involved as a tutor assisting in preparation for the CYO concert.