Alexande, the great!

A group of us rolled up at Sydney Opera House last week to see 2002 McDonald’s Ballet Scholarship winner Alexander Campbell dancing the role of Franz in The Australian Ballet’s production of Coppelia. Now aged 23 and a first soloist with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, Alexander was appearing in Sydney as part of an exchange between the two companies. It was wonderful seeing him dance again and he impressed us all with his clean jumps, spectacular turns and fine footwork.

We were also thrilled to see so many of our former champions, performing alongside him. These included Gina Brescianini as Swanhilda, Matthew Donnelly as Dr Coppelius, Juliet Burnett as Prayer, Ben Stuart-Carberry as the priest and Jack Hersee as the seigneur. Kismet Bourne, Natalie Fincher (nee Hill), Halaina Hills, Natasha Kusan and Stephanie Williams shone among Swanhilda’s friends. Then, if this wasn’t enough, Serena Green, who claimed the second McDonald’s Ballet Scholarship last year, appeared as the seigneur’s lady, while Airu Matsuda, winner of our initial junior Boys’ Dance Championship, featured among the juvenile extras.

It was a great night and we were all so proud that we left the auditorium with our hearts swollen.

The Latest on Claudia

Our 2008 McDonald’s Ballet Scholarship winner Claudia Dean is going places again!  After finishing ‘fifth in the world,’ in the Youth of America Grand Prix in New York in March, Claudia is now enjoying a promotional tour of Japan with the Graduate Class from The Royal Ballet School.

Since enrolling at RBS last September, Claudia has skipped the first twelve months of her three-year course, appeared onstage with the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden, represented the school in America and, although still undertaking second-year studies, she is now touring with more senior students. 

It is too early to predict what the future might hold for this dainty Queenslander, but she is clearly doing well and Sydney Eisteddfod is proud of her!
  

Another reason to brag!

After watching young singers competing in the Operatic Aria (17-22) in 2005, one of our most dedicated opera buffs told that we had unearthed a rare gem in winner Julie Goodwin.  ‘She’s only 17,’ he marvelled, ‘but her truly voice is beautiful and she has a real star quality.’    

Five years on, we are happy to report that Julie has been chosen from 850 applicants across the nation to play Maria in West Side Story.   The show will open in the Lyric Theatre in July.  

Congratulations Julie, Sydney Eisteddfod is proud of you and your name is already shining in its galaxy of stars.

Congratulations Robbie

A big rah-rah for Robbie Kmetoni who last night won the ‘Australia’s Favourite Dancer title’ in the 2010 final of So You Think You Can Dance. Cheers, too, for lovely Jessica Hesketh who finished on his heels in second place.

Last year, we lauded the 2009 winner Talia Fowler and runner-up Charlie Bartley and, as these four dancers all tested their talents on McDonald’s Sydney Eisteddfod platform, we are very proud of the part we played in their respective histories.

Congratulations Kim Pickering Jones

Wow! What else can we say after witnessing Kim Pickering-Jones’ moment of glory in Australia’s Got Talent on Channel Seven last Tuesday night? In her first appearance, Kim amazed viewers with her beautiful voice and is now being likened to Scotland’s Susan Boyle.

Singing styles ranging from opera and oratorio to music theatre and folk songs, Kim competed in our Classical Singing division for many years and collected a heap of medals, many of them gold, in the process. Whether she triumphs in the final or not is irrelevant. By daring to enter this popular show, she has already triumphed by establishing herself in the public eye.

Bravo, Kim! Sydney Eisteddfod is proud of you and you can rest assured that its aficionados will be barracking madly as you follow your dream into the next round.

Good News

After just over a year at the Jacqueline Onassis School, New York, Queenslander Aaron Smyth has been accepted into American Ballet Theatre 2. For Aaron, to be part of this company of six female and six male dancers is the realisation of a dream. He is now excitedly preparing to depart on a tour of Spain and Bulgaria and says that he could not be happier.

Aaron, who possesses a personal charisma that carries across the footlights, won critical acclaim and hundreds of teenage hearts when he competed in the McDonald’s Ballet Scholarship finals in 2007 and 2008. He knows instinctively how to please an audience and a couple of years ago, gathered fans across the nation when he danced into third place in Australia’s Got Talent.

Bravo, Aaron, Sydney Eisteddfod rejoices in your achievement and wishes you every success in your future career.

Congratulations Serina

We also delight in reporting that Serena Green who won the second McDonald’s Ballet Scholarship last year, has been awarded a scholarship to the English National Ballet School and will commence there in September.

We KNOW they can dance

As we love bragging about our successes, we are delighted to report that three of the top six performers in So You Think You Can Dance once honed their skills on the Sydney Eisteddfod platform. We congratulate Jessica Hesketh (pictured), Jess Stokes and Robbie Kmetoni and wish them luck as they move towards the final round.

Other Top Twenty qualifiers who once graced our platform include Carly Smith, Renee Ritchie, Heath Cundy and Matt Geronimi. As SYTYCD does not identify performers by their full names, we may have given a couple of dancers the slip. If so, please let us know, so give them the rah-rah they deserve

Our former finalists take on the world

Stars of the 2008 McDonald’s Ballet Scholarships Claudia Dean, Jack Bertinshaw (pictured) and Aaron Smyth recently performed with some of the world’s finest young dancers in the final of Youth of America Grand Prix. Reaching the top level of this competition is a magnificent feat, so we applaud all three, especially Jack who distinguished himself by emerging from the contest with the Mary Day Artistry Award.

For the record, Hannah O’Neil, a New Zealander now studying at The Australian Ballet School, won the senior prize for female dancers.

Singing sisters scooop more awards

A few months ago, Tahlia and Ingrid Racz gave us something to celebrate by winning the Australian Songwriters Association Award for the Best Australian Song. Now, with friend Karen-Anne Waters, they have added the MUSICOZ Award for the best World/Folk Song to their laurels.

These singing sisters grew up performing on our stages. They collected a heap of awards in the process and now they are reaching for the stars.

Congratulations girls, Sydney Eisteddfod is proud of you!

Elizabeth headed to NIDA

We congratulate Elizabeth Jackson, who since striking gold in our Song and Dance solo last year, has passed her HSC with flying colours and gained a coveted place in the fulltime Performing Arts Course at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA).

Eighteen-year-old Elizabeth has been studying song and dance at McCarthy Studios since she was five and hopes to make her career in musical theatre. We wish her every success in her studies and look forward to seeing her name up in lights in the not too distant future.

William awarded a Fellowship

We take pride in reporting that cellist William Hewer has been awarded a Sydney Symphony Fellowship for 2010. Twenty-year-old William is the youngest of the nine musicians who have been chosen to be mentored and tutored by Sydney Symphony Orchestra and its guest artists this year.

Recognised throughout the world as an elite training ground for orchestral players, the Fellowship is designed to prepare outstanding young musicians for careers with professional orchestras. William, who hails from Tasmania, played in the final round of the Nelson Meers Instrumentalist Scholarship in both 2007 and 2008.

Nicholas awarded a Fellowship

Three cheers for pianist Nicholas Young who recently became the third person in history to obtain a Fellowship in Music from the Australian Music Examination Board.

The highest and most prestigious award offer by AMEB, this Fellowship is only awarded to candidates who show excellence in technical ability, musical maturity, stylistic understanding and professional stage presence. Nineteen-year-old Nicholas has won numerous prizes on our stages in recent years. We have watched him grow up, noted his progress and look forward to his performances in our forthcoming Festival.

Stephanie to depart on a great adventure

Since competing in the semi final of the McDonald’s Operatic Aria and the final of the Opera & Arts Support Group Scholarship last year, Perth soprano Stephanie Gooch has not put a foot wrong.

With one success following another, she reached the final of Opera Foundation Australia’s AUDI German Award and won the Ralph Thompson Memorial Scholarship for the Art Song Perth, hit an even higher note by taking out the valuable More Than Opera German Australia Grant.

Stephanie will soon depart on a great adventure into heartland of European opera. As part of her prize, she has received a twelve-month employment contract with the Hessisches Staatstheater, Wiesbaden, two months tuition at the Goethe Institut in Berlin and a cash prize plus airfares as well.

Bravo, Stephanie! Sydney Eisteddfod is proud of you

Honours at the Prix de Lausanne

Congratulations to Caitlin Stavaruk who won a ‘bourse’ (scholarship) at the recent Prix de Lausanne.

Before joining The Australian Ballet School in 2008, Caitlin competed regularly on our platform and astounded us all with her potential. Caitlin is now studying at the Tanz Akademie Zurich and we wish her every success in her future endeavours.

Queenslander Aaron Smyth, now at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at the American Ballet Theatre, New York, also danced in the final of this highly competitive event.

Five former entrants join the Australian Ballet

We are delighted to report that Jessica Fyfe (pictured), Ingrid Gow, Ben Suart-Carberry, Victor Esguerra and Jack Hersee, all of whom honed their skills on our stages a few years back, have joined The Australian Ballet for the 2010 season.

We are proud of them all and wish them every success in their future careers.

Jessica, who won the prestigious Robert & Elizabeth Junior Classical Ballet Scholarship in 2005, now joins the magnificent line of winners who have risen from this valuable showcase, Stephanie Williams (Australian Ballet) and Daniel Baker (Miami City Ballet) and Benjamin Ella (Royal Ballet) among them!

Another former entrant joins The Royal Ballet School

Lucy Gold, who won the Tessa Maunder Most Promising Girl award in 2008 and the Classical Ballet Solo (16 years) in 2009, is now studying at The Royal Ballet School. Lucy loves London life and, according to all reports, reveling in her studies.

Sharon Wins Award

Three cheers for our former jazz dance champion Sharon Millerchip who after wowing audiences as Roxie Hart in the 2009 production of Chicago has won the Sydney Theatre Award for the best performance by an actress in a stage musical. Congratulations Sharon, Sydney Eisteddfod is proud of you! We’re always so busy, even the best news sometimes escapes us. We have now discovered that the wonderful Sharon Millerchip also won the 2009 Helpmann for the Best Female Performer in a Musical and extend belated congratulations and a chorus of loud bravos!

Megan Evans Turned 90.

Megan Evans, doyen of the Sydney community, celebrated her 90th on Australia Day. A much loved member of the Sydney Eisteddfod family, Megan bowed into the City of Sydney Eisteddfod as a 13-year-old entrant in 1933 and has been contributing to its success ever since as an accompanist, vocal coach and, most importantly, a friend. As an icon of our competition, we salute you, Megan, and wish you every happiness and good health in the years to come.