A showcase of Victorian students’ talent will again have a Bendigo presence after local youth secured coveted spots in the cast of this year’s state schools spectacular.
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After a gruelling audition process, fourteen-year-old Amy Bachmann and Liv Brereton, 15, have been chosen to perform in the Hisense Arena extravaganza this September.
The Bendigo South East duo will be joined on the Melbourne stage by Bendigo Senior Secondary College student Tom Hadlow.
The 2017 show will see Liv graduate from backing singer to featured ensemble member, putting her front and centre in seven different numbers.
While the crowd size daunted Liv, she was eager to share her passion for music.
“I just love performing on stage,” she said.
“The adrenalin is rushing, but once you actually get on stage, it's fun.”
The year 10 student said she did not come from a musical family and only discovered her singing gift just four years ago.
She has since made it her mission to carve out a path in the performing arts, with her heart already set on a obtaining a musical theatre degree from the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne.
The performer played Belle in the BSE production of Beauty and the Beast in 2016.
Amy will make her school spectacular debut this year; she was inspired to audition after attending last year’s performance in support of BSE performers.
“It was so high energy, and it’s such a long show – it was really good to see,” Amy said.
The flutist will play as many as 40 songs in the September showcase.
“It’s a way to express myself,” the young musician said, explaining she often turned to her second instrument, the piano, in times of stress.
Amy’s flute teacher and BSE creative arts academy manager Cynthia Holsworth would again bus students to Melbourne to cheer on the girls, who were just two of 247 students part of the college’s music program.
“For us to be represented at that level is just fantastic,” she said.
The benefits were not just musical, Ms Holsworth said, explaining media training, makeup tutorials and performance opportunities around Melbourne were all part of the state schools spectacular experience.
The event will showcase a 1300-voice choir, while 1200 more young people will perform choreography. Last year’s show even included a magician. The cast will perform the three-hour extravaganza twice on Saturday, September 16.
Visit the education department website for more information.
Mark Kearney
Journalist. Traveller. Pop culture connoisseur. Mark is passionate about education, the arts and social justice, especially stories affecting the LGBTI community.
Journalist. Traveller. Pop culture connoisseur. Mark is passionate about education, the arts and social justice, especially stories affecting the LGBTI community.
