Chamber trio take overall honours - June 2015

MUSICAL RUSH: Still Rushin', a trio from Wanganui High School, presented music by Shostakovich. They were (from left) Jeanne-Marie Bonnet, Zara Collinson and Grace Jones.

A trio of home-educated students took top honours in the Wanganui round of the NZ Community Trust schools chamber music contest on the weekend.

Jeanli Boessenkool (harp), Liam Boessenkool (cello) and Daniel Aldersley (saxophone) make up RD3, and this threesome was named overall winners of the competition staged at Wanganui Collegiate School's Prince Edward auditorium on Friday.

RD3 played a piece written by Rod Thomas - Jeanli's harp teacher - called Jubilee Trio, a title that recognised the 50th anniversary of the schools' music competition.

And because they were the top group playing a New Zealand work, they also were awarded the Sounz prize for best performance of a NZ work. They also picked up a KBB award for excellence in a group containing wind, brass or percussion, as well as the Chamber Music Wanganui prize for the winning ensemble.

Adjudicator, Tom McGrath from Dunedin, was generous and encouraging in the comments he gave to the students at the end of each session, giving specific feedback as well as general tips for developing chamber music skills further.

Mr McGrath said he was impressed with the range and level the students had reached and enjoyed the atmosphere of the Wanganui contest

RD3 will now go on to the Central regional finals being held in Napier on June 21.

Mr McGrath also gave three highly commended awards to runner-up groups.

They included the Fontana trio from Wanganui Collegiate (Angela Wu flute, Karen Lau violin and Daniel Zhang piano), Valinor trio from Wanganui Home Educators (Eden Vaatstra violin, Theodore Vaatstra cello and Ida Vaatstra piano) and the Gregorian Trio representing Wanganui Collegiate and Wanganui Home Educators (Karen Lau violin, Liam Boessenkool cello and Jonny Matthews piano).

The Fontana trio also received a KBB award.

There was an adjudicator's award for a group that caught the adjudicator's attention in a special way. This went to Chamber of Secrets (Wanganui High School) with violinist Virginia Thompson, and Jack Southee and Eli Tanoi playing ukeleles.

The final award was given to the most promising junior ensemble and it went to Cornikopia from Wanganui Collegiate (Michael Zhang, Vee Rachakarakij and Sathin Smakkamai) all playing on one piano.