Titled ‘Inherit’, Jennifer’s artwork received a tremendously positive response from the judges:

“Striking and notably beautiful. A subtle use of symbolism enhanced and supported by a sophisticated and strong display of technical skill. The work is relatable and connects emotively with the viewer.”

Jennifer says: “I made this piece while everyone in Sydney was in isolation, so I was inspired a lot by the proximity to my family and having to be more self-reflective. In my work I wanted to include a lot of different elements of my heritage and connect to the past, tradition and nostalgia through depicting recognisable objects from my background.”

Congratulations to Jennifer on her win; well deserved for a genuinely impressive talent.

Fellow Andrew’s woman Penny Butler received a ‘Highly Commended’ for her work which we look forward to sharing with our community shortly.

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Their (COVID-safe and fully sold out!) debut concerts at the College will take place in the Chapel this Saturday 10 October, and will feature their string players performing some of the greatest hits of the quartet and octet repertoire.

More details can be found on their website: or Facebook page:​

– Ben Adler (Artist in Residence)

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Nine talented speakers trialled a few weeks before the event. After a brilliant effort all round, a panel of judges helped to select the team. Adele Burke (Fr 2018 and current Hon Secretary) and I (Olivia Taylor, Fr 2019) went on to refine our speeches with the invaluable help of Director of ES&L Will Cesta and Dean of Studies Alex Wright.

The topic was ‘Ok, Boomer!’, provoking a range of different responses. It proved to be an engaging night for the audience, both in-person and on the live stream. The speeches varied from dramatic pieces about our political system to discussing the importance of generational discourse.

My speech focused on the housing market, combining economics with references to the classic Australian movie ‘The Castle’. Using both humour and statistics, the speech covered a lot of ground and came to a surprising conclusion.

Adele delivered a theatrical and thought-provoking speech that focused on the impact of social media on our lives. Starting off with a dash of humour but then shifting to a serious tone, she delivered a message of the severe impact of our mobile devices. Likening Apple and Facebook to ‘big tobacco’ and fast food, the problem she posed was urgent and frightening.

It was a fantastic speech that rightfully took home first place!

• Olivia Taylor (Fr 2019)

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We extend warm wishes for Mother’s Day and hope that all in our community can take some time to enjoy this very special performance:

Convenor: James Armstrong

Video Processing: Adrian Whitehall

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We look forward to sharing some pieces with you throughout the coming months.

Adrian Whitehall, playing Eric Whitacre’s ‘Lux Aurumque’:

Cassidy Watts who is working on a trance EP, released her song ‘Lucy’ this week:

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Thirty-one such children between the ages of seven and fourteen called the College home for the scorching weekend, taught by eight professional string tutors and aided by a coterie of Symphony for Life parents and staff – including the charismatic Karen Carey, one of Australia’s most influential and best-loved music pedagogues (and who was just honoured with an OAM for services to secondary education). Artist in Residence Ben Adler, Director of Education and Student Life Will Cesta and Dean of Admissions Minami Takahashi also assisted throughout the weekend.

The camp proved an invaluable developmental opportunity for the children. It was Symphony for Life’s first chance to engage students in music making for longer than two hours at a time; further, the College’s ample spaces were perfectly suited not only for ensemble and choral rehearsals and percussion workshops, but also for ‘break-out’ rooms in which tutors could afford students individualised attention.

The students reaped the rewards of their intensive tuition and improved out of sight – evinced in the weekend’s concluding concert, which saw the Reading Room packed to standing room only capacity with enthused family members and supporters. The string tutors, joined by Ben Adler, opened with Corelli’s popular ‘Christmas Concerto’; the rest of the hour was devoted to both the junior and senior string ensembles, as well as the combined choir, and even featured improvisation. A Symphony for Life board member commented that the playing standard was recognisably higher than the previous year’s.

The camp was also the first time many of the children had visited the University of Sydney – or, indeed, travelled this far east. Their disbelief and glee upon setting eyes on our sandstone castle was priceless: inevitably, St Andrew’s became Hogwarts and staff were assigned the sobriquets of Harry Potter characters. Even parents were astonished by the beauty and grandeur of our College, and many a grateful ‘tourist’ photo was taken.

It was a pleasure to witness the sounds of music and children’s laughter breathe life into the otherwise hibernating Main building. We look forward to developing our partnership with such a worthy cause.​

• Ben Adler, Artist in Residence

Below: Ben Adler, Karen Carey OAM and head tutor Daniel Cortez

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The theme is ‘Still Life’ across all categories:

• Poetry
• Prose
• Photography

Entries close on 18 October at 5pm with winners notified on 1 November. Winning entries will be shared in upcoming College publications and on our website.

Prizes will be awarded at the Valedictory Dinner on 7 November.

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Each semester, �鶹ԭ�� College holds a Gala Concert in the chapel, which is our best and most representative event for showcasing our musical talents.

As per tradition, the concert was kicked off by our fantastic Jazz Band, playing two upbeat numbers, “Sweet Louis Blues” and “Atcha Falaya”. The band is a great size and produces a loud, energetic sound, even aided with a little choreography this time. This was followed up by a few more jazz items, featuring Jesse Dransfield (Fr 2019), Harry Wright (Fr 2017), Sam Wright (fr 2019) and Anthony Rositano (Fr 2018) among others. Fresher Jim Osborne’s “Billy’s Bounce” was a particular highlight, demonstrating a virtuosity at the drum kit that we haven’t seen before.

This concert really reminded us of the diverse musical interests and talents of our college community. Amongst our singers, the more modern side was covered by vocalists Freshmen Kiran Gupta (Dear Mr President) and James Carraro (Words Fail from ‘Dear Evan Hansen’), both of whom are members of the College Choir and have outstanding vocal ranges. Andrew Knight (Fr 2017), currently studying at Sydney Conservatorium, performed Captain Stratton’s ‘Fancy’ by Peter Warlock, a drinking song very much in the sea shanty genre, which was very well sung and quite entertaining.

Amongst our other Sydney Conservatorium instrumentalists were Sam Vail (Fr 2017) and Adrian Whitehall (Fr 2017). Sam played Percy Code’s ‘Zelda’ on trumpet – a bright and uplifting number; and Adrian gave us the Prelude from J.S. Bach’s Cello Suite No 2, which was delivered with much energy and pathos. Alex Hewish (Fr 2016) performed the beautiful Nocturne No. 2 by Chopin, a very touching piece in the programme, and she played with great care and feeling.

Towards the end of our programme came our 2019 Artist in Residence, Benjamin Adler, who is a talented violinist and graduate of Sydney Conservatorium who has played with the Australian Chamber Orchestra and his own chamber ensembles. He has been a great asset to the College’s music life, and a great aid with our string ensemble. He performed Bach’s Sarabande from Partita No. 2, demonstrating both his technical mastery of the instrument and his mature understanding of the music, communicating complex and intimate feelings and moods. Ben was then joined by Will Cesta (Fr 2013) and Minami Takahashi (Fr 2014), two of our senior members of College, who performed a creative and dynamic rendition of Schubert’s ‘Erlkönig’, showing us all the great potential for songs to be transcribed for instruments.

The Gala Concert was concluded with our two other music ensembles: the Chamber Ensemble (Chemble) and Choir. Chemble performed a piece entitled “Paean” (a song of praise and triumph) which was composed by the convenor, Titus Grenyer (myself). It was a great pleasure and privilege to have such a talented group of instrumentalists who were willing to perform my own music, and I am very proud of their musicality. After this, a select group of Chemble remained, and drummer Jim Osborne returned to the stage to perform an Irish folk-like song, “The Rising of the Sun”, with the College Choir conducted by Dr Sarah Penicka-Smith. It was punctuated by great choral diction and exactitude, with a flair of improvisation.

On behalf of the College, I would like to thank all the musicians who played (numbering more than thirty!), the convenors of the ensembles, accompanists, and family, friends and fellow members of College who attended, as well as Gail O’Brien and Lorainne Brecard from the Chris O’Brien Lifehouse. We are all looking forward to the Gala Concert next semester, and as musicians are grateful to have a welcoming yet professional performance opportunity within our own College walls.

Titus Grenyer (Fr 2016)

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Audience members present at the Palladian solo drama competition were once again treated to a spectacle of challenging, engaging and entertaining theatre.

Following a lengthy audition process, it was decided that Alice Litchfield (Fr 2019) and Will Cottle (Fr 2018) would represent Drews. Both pieces challenged and showcased the skills of our Drews performers. Alice performed a deeply emotive rendition of ‘What’s the matter with Mary Jane?’ – an unnerving monologue centred around insecurity and anorexia in youth. In contrast to the serious tone of Alice’s performance, Will performed an interpretation of the frantic and comedic beat poem ‘Storm’ by Tim Minchin, in which an Englishman tries (and fails) to rationalise the beliefs of an Australian ‘hippie’ at a dinner party.

After weeks of preparation, both Will and Alice were able to refine and master their pieces, providing Andrew’s with one of the strongest pairs in recent history.

As always, the Palladian competition proved fierce. With a variety of different pieces and performances on display, each performer should be applauded for the nuance and energy present in every piece.

Alice was our first performer of the night and entranced the audience with strong facial expressions and controlled, purposeful movements. Alice perfectly imbued an uncomfortable humour throughout the chilling narrative, masterfully shifting from vulnerability to frustration to illustrate the insecurity of her character. When addressing an issue such as anorexia, it’s very easy for performers to come across as contrived and disingenuous. Yet Alice not only respected the subject matter, but truly embodied it in a performance worthy of the highest praise.

Following a promising start from Alice, Will wrapped the night up in fine fashion, embodying a dogged and hysterical character, one who was bursting with energy as he constantly navigated the stage at a frantic pace. Despite the frenzy of his character, Will still managed to time his comedy seamlessly, striking a key balance between hilarity and sincerity. This blend of comedy and didacticism kept the audience in a constant fluctuation between laughter and reflection by tying the comedy of Minchin to the existential subtext of science and philosophy. Will’s piece was a fine end to the performances and capped off what would prove to be an outstanding night for �鶹ԭ��.

Following Will’s performance, an expectant Drews crowd waited anxiously for what seemed like an eternity to hear the judges’ verdict. In spite of the pedigree on display across all 12 performances, our Androvians were justly rewarded for their stellar efforts, with Will earning a 4^th place finish and Alice deservedly taking home 1^st place on the night in a performance which the judges described as “the winner by some margin.”

Congratulations to both Alice and Will for facing the packed intercollegiate crowd and having them in their pockets for the entirety of the performances. Both competitors represented Drews fantastically and the College could not be prouder. Additional thanks must be given to the droves of Androvians that came out to support. Your engagement and laughter in what was a hostile intercollegiate crowd was a big help for our competitors.

Most crucially, this result has reinstated �鶹ԭ�� atop the Palladian leaderboard.

Will Cottle (Fr 2018)

Pictured: Alice Litchfield & Will Cottle

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