St Illtyd’s students display their creative talents
Students at St Illtyd’s Catholic High School have displayed their creative talents once again as they shared their musical and artistic skills.
News from the Department of Performing Arts
St Cecilia Music Showcase
Family and friends joined us to celebrate the Feast of St Cecilia, the Patron Saint of Music. The music department presented a wonderful showcase starting with the 60 strong choir singing I See Stars from ‘Mean Girls’, led by soloist Olivia Manzenza.
The evening was packed with stars from all year groups with numbers from the orchestra, rock band, guitar ensemble and school choir. Alongside the group performances were wonderful solos from Sara Balangoda Mudiyanselage on violin, guitar solos from Darren, Ke Yi Chen, David Skiba, Alona Sunson, Ioan Crowley, Oskar Kubieniec and vocal solo performances from Giselle Aghedo, Becky Cassinelli, Bethabara Opare and Summer Yacoob. The choir ended with a rendition of The Rhythm of Life from ‘Sweet Charity’.
All the students dedicated their time and effort towards rehearsing in order to deliver a wonderful display of music to a full audience. It was a lovely evening and a fantastic opportunity for our students to showcase their talent and hard work throughout the term – we are so proud of them all! If you missed the showcase some highlights have been posted on the X account (formerly Twitter) @stilltydsMusic.
Welsh National Opera
The music GCSE students enjoyed a visit to the Wales Millennium Centre to watch a compacted version of Verdi’s opera “La Traviata” performed by the WNO. La Traviata is an opera about the most elegant courtesan in all of Paris. Violetta is the belle of every ball and has her choice of wealthy admirers. But, when she falls in love with the penniless poet Alfredo, can she be accepted as a woman in love, or will she remain a ‘fallen woman’ whose love has no future? This was a fantastic experience to broaden our students’ musical experiences.
Quarry Hall Care Home
It was a pleasure to visit Quarry Hall Care home in July and entertain the residents. Our music students performed a range of showstoppers which were enjoyed by all.
Creative Pathways Careers Event
Students from Year 10 music, drama and art attended the creative pathways careers fair in October at Cardiff City Hall. The event was a vibrant and insightful exploration of the countless career avenues in the creative sector. The event was not just a career fair, it was also a celebration of artistic expression with performances from different college students all working on different courses.
At the heart of the event were engaging workshops led by industry experts and further education providers. The workshops offered valuable insights, skills development and hands-on experiences in various creative fields, from graphic design, film making and performing arts. All students that attended collected lots of information on their future career pathways.
Julie Smith, Head of Performing Arts
News from the Art Department
KS3 Artists of the term
Miss Cosslett and Miss Dennis have had the pleasure of receiving lots of beautiful artworks this term. Here are some excellent examples:
Anna Petrova 7MR
Anna has been working on an impressive mixed media orange drawing showing her skills in both tonal pencil and biro marking making. Outstanding effort!
Allyson Rojas 8AFO
Allyson has developed a celebrity print inspired by Catholic iconography. Her portrait of Marilyn Monroe highlights her influences within the media industry. Keep it up Allyson!
Tracy Manzenza 9NJ
Whilst exploring social issues Tracy has superbly detailed an emotive war inspired image. Tracy has chosen her materials and colour scheme independently to develop impact in her work. Wonderful work Tracy!
Tamara Cosslett, Head of Art