Ella experiences a SYO Summer School

Ella has only been playing the flute for about a year, but she had been playing piano for five years.

Her mum Marianne Powles had some concerns that Ella might be a little out of her depth, with the older students , who had more experience and had been playing the their instruments longer.

Ella’s flute teacher at the Goulburn Conservatorium of Music, Emma Knott, was confident that Ella who has recently completed her grade one exam, would benefit from the experience.

Ella probably has an advantage over other 11-year-olds she has grown up in a musical household and her love of music has been supported by both her parents.

“I suppose Ella does get her passion for music from us,” Marianne Powles said. “ The camp Sydney Youth Orchestra (SYO) Summer Camp was also an opportunity for us to catch up with family in Sydney and on the Central Coast.”

Ella, spent the week from January 8 to 12 working with esteemed educator James Pensini in the Holst Ensemble.

The 230 young musicians from all over NSW came together at St Mary’s Cathedral College to learn from some of Australia’s best music educators at SYO Summer School.

The young people came from all over NSW, including the Riverina, North and Mid North Coast, Central West, Blue Mountains, Central Coast, Illawarra, Southern Tablelands, Southern Highlands, and the Greater Sydney Region.

The week culminated in a sold-out concert at Verbrugghen Hall within the Sydney Conservatorium of music.

Ella said the SYO Summer School was a wonderful experience where she met and made friends with other young people who like herself and learnt much form James Pensini.

Besides her interest in music Ella is also keen on theatre and is involved in the upcoming Lieder Theatre production, Masquerade.