Autumn Concert
Thursday, 23 April 2026
Welcome to Musicians, Families & Friends,
We share with you tonight a wonderful evening of diverse musical character, genre and instrumentation. Our choirs, string orchestras, concert bands, guitars, and rock bands have been hard at work in ensemble rehearsals to develop their skills, and we hope that you enjoy the performances we have in store for you.
There is nothing like being part of a live ensemble experience; being in the moment, united in one goal. Listening and balancing to each other, shaping the music, and responding to real-time cues creates an exciting challenge. The thrill of performing to an audience and sharing our musical gifts makes all the hard work worthwhile.
Congratulations to our Toorak College musicians, leaders, and staff for their performance tonight. Thank you to our families and friends for your support. From Wardle House to Year 12, we are proud to present the 2026 Autumn Concert.
Amy Wert Director of Music
Program
1. Suzuki Ensemble
‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - Variation A’ Traditional ‘Go Tell Aunt Rhody’ Traditional ‘Allegro’ by Suzuki ‘Minuet 1’ by J.S. Bach
2. Toorak Band Academy ‘Hand Clap Symphony’ by Nellie Williams
3. Grace Notes ‘Grow’ by Sarah Quartel
4. Guitar Ensemble ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy arr. R. Warden
5. Rock Workshop ‘Eye of the Tiger’ by Survivor
5a. Presentation of Music Captains and Music Ensemble Leaders
6. Benedetti Strings
‘Do re mi fa’ Traditional ‘Italian Suite’ by Sheila Nelson
7. Sinclair Chorale
‘What About Us’ by Pink arr. M. Brymer
8. Concert Band ‘Colours of the Wind’ by Alan Merken & Stephen Schwartz, Arr. Eric Osterling
Program
9. Chamber Strings
‘From the Start’ by Music & Lyrics by Laufey & Spencer Stewart, arranged by Michael Kamuf
10. Pan Asia Ensemble
‘My Only Girl’ by Khalil Fong
11. Serenata Choir
‘I Must Clean My Room’ by Katherine Ruhle
12. Symphony Winds
‘Tripwire’ by JaRod Hall
13. Symphony Strings
‘Brandenburg Concerto No. 2’ by J.S. Bach
13a. Presentation of flowers to Class of 2026 Musicians
14. Jazz Workshop
‘Birdland’ by Joseph Zawinal
Upcoming Music Events
Senior School House Music - CAP
Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Cabaret Evening - D4
Friday, 15 May 2026
Year 6 Production ‘The Little Mermaid’ - CAP
Wednesday, 20 May, Thursday, 21 May & Friday, 22 May
Biennial Concert - CAP
Wednesday, 5 August
Special Thanks To
Toorak College Executive Team
Kenton Reeder, Aaron Georgez, Leanne Bakker, Toorak College AV/IT Team
All of the Physical Resources Team and After-Hours Caretaker for their assistance and support
Music Administration - Ms Ginny Smith
Prefects, Ushers and BackstagePhoebe Cheung, Morgen Clarke, Alexa Drew, Zara Jolly, Jade Victory, Jessica (Weijia) Wang
Senior and Junior School staff assisting with the running of this evening’s concertMs Ashleigh Andersson, Mrs Susan Auger, Ms Kristie Evans, Ms Jenna Green, Dr Barbara Joseph, Mrs Naomi Linssen, Mrs Miriam Maguire, Miss Dianna McKellar, Mrs Catherine Noble, Mrs Bronwyn Pierce, Ms Morgan Price, Mrs Monica Royal, Ms Jodie Sherritt, Mrs Lisa Hamilton Smith, Ms Sarah Talbot & Ms Rikki Watson
2026 Music Captains
Senior School
Jessica Martin
Junior School
Harper Logan, Reyna Thadani
2026 Ensemble Leaders
Benedetti Strings
Emily Boelen & Maya Lin
Chamber Strings
Daisy La Nauze
Chamber Winds
Evie Mitchell & Joyce (Yuxuan) Yan
Grace Notes
Morgen Clarke
Guitar Ensemble
Amélie Simpson
Jazz Workshop
Signe Hardt
2026 Ensemble Leaders (cont.)
Pan-Asia Ensemble
Jessica Wang
Rockband Workshop
Maeve Weeks
Serenata Choir
Millie Brown, Alexandra Mitchell & Zoe
Stroessenreuther
Sinclair Chorale
Morgen Clarke, Daisy La Nauze & Heidi McDonald
Suzuki Academy
Indrah Phelan & Chloe Wang
Symphony Strings
Eliza Pierce & Ada Dynes
Symphony Winds
Sienna Young & Xiaoyu (Angelina) Zhai
Toorak Band Academy
Alisha Amberkar & Imogen Drew
Tonight’s Performers
Isabella Aldaoud
Alisha Amberkar
Soleil Andersen
Alexis Anderson
Eve Anderson
Estella Aris
Skye Armitage
Annika Arnott
Larni Ashby
Milena Avanesyan
Shivani Baheerathan
Mia Baker
Tess Baker
Ollie Bardis
Celeste Barker
Sophie Barker
Kailee Baulk
Clara Beardwood
Sylvie Beardwood
Sienna Beeck Gaudion
Lucy Bennell
Harper Bethune
Indie Bethune
Anna Bishop
Stella Black
Alexis Blagojevic
Lucy Blatchford
Emily Boelen
Emily Boes
Pippa Boldock
Annie Bond
Charlotte Bond
Blair Booth
Emily Booth
Ivy Bradley
Imogen Brady
Lily Bricknell
Genevieve Brown
Millie Brown
Olivia Brown
Bella Bungay
Frankie Butcher
Aalia Cameron
Darcy Canavan
Aurelia Cao
Annabelle Carrington
Allara Carty
Zara Caruso
Eyan Chan
Lucy Charlton
Bella Chen
Cecelia Chen
Hannah Chen
Melissa Chen
Phoebe Cheung
Mia Cheung
Amaka Chiezey
Morgen Clarke
Scarlett Clemens
Nelly Cleveland
Sage Cole-Peroumal
Ivy Collyer
Edwina Comelli
Abby Coulthard
Georgie Coventry
Mia Cowled
Yasmin Crewther
Roxy Curtain
Aria Daniel
Ziva Daniel
Tonight’s Performers (cont.)
Zoe Davey
Eleanor David-West
Amelia Davies
Miranda Davis
Pearl Dawe
Abigail Day
Evelyn Deex
Faith del Rosario
Katherine Dellios
Mia Denton
Alessandra Dermatis
Jett Di Natale
Ava Dillon
Jenny Do
Lilah Dobson
Alice Doquile
Jordie Dougherty
Stevie Dougherty
Mimi Drew
Annabelle Drinkwater
Mikayla Drinkwater
Gemma Driver
Zoe Driver
Georgia Dugdale
Ada Dynes
Florence Dyson
Amelia Elliott
Holly Elvins
Olive English
Maddie Ewart
Ornella Faganello
Alex Fallis
Sophie Fang
Madeline Findlay
Naomi Finocchiaro
Maeve Fontaine
Willow Foran
Ella-Rose Franklyn
Bowen Fraser
Zoe Fry
Emma Gao
Sophia Gentner
Jade Gibbs
Hazel Gielb
Olivia Gioskos
Pritha Golangade
Ayana Golatkar
Bella Goodman
Clementine Gray
Gertrude Gray
Matilda Gray
Maggie Griffiths
Jade Groves
Lily Guo
Juliet Gwizdek-Faulkner
Ariana Hajbabaie
Matilda Hansen
Emma Hanson
Orla Hansen
Signe Hardt
Ava Hardy
Olivia Hardy
Daina Haritonos
Emily Harper
Emily Harvey
Ellie Hastings
Tonight’s Performers (cont.)
Tabetha Hawkins
Eleanor Heathcote
Charlotte Hoffmann
Elizabeth Holzoder
Amy Hong
Jojo Hu
Sunny Huang
Alexandra Hunt
Madeleine Hutchinson
Judy Jackson
Sofia Jackson
Nicole Jacobs
Eloise James
Elsie Jeffery
Xoya Jell-Batha
Linfei Jiang
Kitty Johnson
Zara Johnston
Bailey Kendrick
Mollie Killigrew
Olivia King
Hannah Kirk
Molly Kleverlaan
Nita Kong
Zoya Kozulin
Shani Kristanto
Millicent Kyder-Gould
Daisy La Nauze
Kitty La Nauze
Iris Laing
Eleanor Lamond
Matilda Large
Freya Lassen
Lexi Lee
Alicia Lefas
Chloe Li
Ellena Li
Elva Li
Tait Liebetrau
Maya Lin
Zara Lin
Rachel Liu
Sophia Liu
Michelle Liu
Maisie Lloyd-McGaffin
Harper Logan
Poppy Longman
Olivia Lucas
Eloise Lunn
Stephanie Ly
Maita Machakata
Tully Macwhirter
Florence Majcher
Amaya Marcussen
Sierra Margetts
Ava Marsh
Jessica Martin
Eliza Maschette
Charlotte Mathieson
Elizabeth Mathieson
Nico Matto
Alice Mauldridge
Greta McCullough
Anika McDonald
Heidi McDonald
Evie McFarlane
Tonight’s Performers (cont.)
Sasica Mclean
Annabelle Menage
Khloe Merambeliotis
Alexandra Mitchell
Evelyn Mitchell
Grace Moldrich
Madeleine Morley
Erica Morrison
Natalia Moutis-Freeman
Angell Muir
Lucinda Murley
Adeline Murray
Selena Muser
Chiara Nash
Gymea Nash
Heidi New
Saskia New
Ella Newing
Genevieve Ng
Lexie Nguyen
Alice Noble
Imogen Noble
Nellie O’Brien
Lucy Odlum
Charlotte Oldham
Grace Oldham
Ahlia Oliveira da Silveira
Morin Pan
Ivy Panton
Myrtle Pappin
Poppy Paul
Arielle Petrakis
Indrah Phelan
Edith Phillips
Charlotte Pierce
Eliza Pierce
Miranda Pisaniello
Keira Place
Eugenie Pogonowski
Alix Pollock
Amelie Ponnampalam
Julie Price
Grace Procter
Paige Procter
Dimitra Psarris
Kalliopi Psarris
Jessica Qian
Arabelle Quinn
Asher Rafeld
Shreya Rajesh
Zoe Rasmussen
Jade Raux
Megan Ray
Adelyn Rayner
Alexandra Reidy
Evie Renato
Matilda Renato
Isla Roberts
Sienna Rossetto
Sophia Russell
Adrianna Sartori
Florence Schiano Sammut
Aleena Schneider
Serina Shan
Celina Shenouda
Amelie Simpson
Tonight’s Performers (cont.)
Felicia Siu
Jenna Smedley
Cora Smith
Isabella Smith
Ruby Smith
Rhea Snowsill
Sophia Song
Primrose Spargo
Kristin Stewart
Alexia Stones
Zoe Stroessenreuther
Anna Sullivan
Kesia Sullivan
Priya Sullivan
Rebecca Sun
Joan Sze
Sophia Talbot
Carissa Tan
Elaine Tang
Eliza Tang
Evie Tang
Yichen Tang
Louise Tanner
Reyna Thadani
Katie Thomson
Ella Tisdall
Elleni Tresidder
Anneke van Oosterwijck
Daisy van Unen
Willow van Unen
Sammi Walsh
Chloe Wang
Lisa Wang
Jessica Wang
Betty Wang
Eloise Watkins
Georgie Watt
Maeve Weeks
Beatrix Welsh
Charlotte Welsh
Luciana Whitelaw
Charlotte Williams
Clementine Wilson
Josephine Wilson
Ella Wong
Chasya Wong
Grace Woo
Sarah Xiao
Wendy Xue
Selina Xue
Joyce Yan
Charli Yates
Summer Ye
Evie Yeats
Sienna Young
Helen Yu
Wendy Yu
Jessica Yuan
Angelina Zhai
Clare Zhang
Wendy Zhang
Ella Zhang
Rita Zhao
Linda Zhou
2026 Music Staff
Ms Melanie Adams
Voice, Serenata Choir, Grace Notes Choir
Ms Natalie Bergen
Violin & Viola, Strings Leader, Director of Benedetti
Strings, Symphony Strings, Suzuki Academy, WHISP, ELC
Mr Chris Bevens
Saxophone, Clarinet, Director of Jazz Workshop and Concert Band, Symphony Winds Assistant, Year 7 Band
Mr James Burgess
Double Bass, Electric Bass
Mr Evgeny Chebykin
French Horn
Mr Lester Cheung
Piano, School Piano Accompanist including Sinclair
Chorale, Grace Notes & Serenata Choirs
Mr Andrew Doo
Percussion & Drum Kit, Director of Pan-Asia Ensemble, Year 7 Band, Symphony Winds & Concert Band
Assistant
Ms Amalia Foy
Voice, Director of Sinclair Chorale
2026 Music Staff (cont.)
Mrs Chenny Glenton
Violin & Viola, Symphony Strings, Benedetti Strings & Suzuki Academy Assistant
Mr Jamie Grima
Low Brass, Year 7 Band
Mr David Hedges
Trumpet, Woodwind, Year 7 Band
Ms Hannah Hunt
Oboe, Bassoon, Piano, Toorak Band Academy Assistant
Mrs Laura Neilson
Harp & Piano
Mrs Bronwyn Pierce
Year 7 Band, ELC, Junior & Senior Classroom Music
Ms Nathalie Resciniti
Flute, Toorak Band Academy & Concert Band Assistant
Mrs Monica Royal WHISP, Junior and Senior Classroom Music, Year 6 Production
Mr Kent Ross Piano
2026 Music Staff (cont.)
Ms Melinda Seaw
Piano
Ms Ginny Smith
Music Administration
Mr Rhys Warden
Guitar, Director of Guitar Ensemble & Rockband Workshop
Ms Amy Wert
Director of Music, Senior Classroom Music,
Director of Toorak Band Academy & Symphony Winds, Year 7 Band
Mrs Rowena Young
Cello, Director of Chamber Strings Ensemble, Symphony Strings Assistant
How Playing a Musical Instrument Benefits Your Brain
There is now an enormous amount of research that has explored, measured, quantified and illuminated the benefits of music education on cognitive, emotional, social and physical development. Such is the quantity and quality of the research that it is now understood that music education benefits the development of the whole person like no other human activity. How does it do this? The answer is in the activities that are inherent in reaching the goal of performing a piece of music on an instrument. In order to reach a stage where children can perform a piece in front of an audience, no matter how large or small, they have to master the following skills.
1. Control of their motor cortex that directs their bodily movements – Getting the right note to come out of a musical instrument at the right time with the right sound is an incredible cognitive accomplishment. This is because the human brain needs to coordinate the motor, visual and auditory cortices to synchronise together to produce just one correct note. Imagine the coordination your child’s brain is achieving after an entire piece or concert.
2. Control their emotional states and reactions –Rehearsals can be frustrating experiences, mainly because bringing a whole piece together is a slow and repetitious process. This is actually an act in learning how to learn slowly and sequentially while controlling our emotional responses when we might get bored or frustrated or want to be anywhere else.
This control becomes immeasurably more complicated in a performance situation when you add adrenaline and excitement into the mix. Your child has a huge number of stimuli running around in their bodies while they are up on stage performing, and yet they have to keep their wits about them and keep their emotional responses contained in order to contribute their part to a successful performance. It is now understood that music education benefits the development of the whole person like no other human activity.
3. Staying flexible and responding to unforeseen events – “Strange things happen in performance” is a common mantra of any musical conductor as well as “you have to be ready for anything”. If the drum kit player is struggling to restrain their excitement and starts getting faster and faster, the rest of the band needs to get faster with them and adjust on the spot to the new tempo. If the cello section miscounts for some reason and come in a bar early, the rest of the ensemble need to make a decision right away – do we follow the cellos or look at the conductor and follow them? The ability to adjust our responses is incredibly difficult, because most of the time we just want to start the piece again. But in performance, that just can’t happen and your child is responding in the moment to a given circumstance. Remember, this also all happens without a verbal instruction being spoken.
These are only three of the cognitive activities that your child is managing right in front of your eyes during this concert. Inside their heads, their brains are working really hard to bring you a polished and seemingly flawless performance.
Dr Anita Collins
Australia’s leading neuro musical researcher, Bigger Better Brains