Power Of Pop Concert
Brendan Paul (drums), Eden Robinson, Jason Greene (Yass High School students mentored by the cast of the
Power of Pop), Jacqueline Hanson (Yass High School Music teacher), Amanda Jenkins (bass guitar).
More than 1600 students from schools all across Yass Valley were treated to a spectacular concert, the “Power of Pop” on Thursday and Friday last week. The star of the show was Laura Murphy, one of Australia’s leading musicians. She not only sang the lead role, but had also written and directed the show. Laura Murphy’s fabulous voice and vibrant energy brilliantly brought the show to life. Accompanied by Nathan Barraclough on guitar, Amanda Jenkins on bass, Gianna Cheung on keyboard and Brendan Paul on drums, Laura held the audience enthralled
Two other vocalists, Monique Salle and Drew Weston, also starred in the performance. The audience loved Monique Salle’ portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, drawn from Laura Murphy’s Sydney musical, the Dismissal. The students were amazed by the incredible range and power of Monique Salle’s voice, as well as her great dance moves.
Drew Weston took the role of Malcolm Fraser, and also that of Lysander from Laura’s Musical “the Lovers”. With his handsome looks and great physique, one of the primary school children commented in the Q and A session at the end, “You look like my Dad!”
Other numbers were drawn from Laura’s show “The Lovers” performed last year in Sydney Opera House, and also from her forth coming show “The Zombies”. The “Power of Pop” concert was presented by Yass Music Club with sponsorship from an anonymous source, facilitated by the Australian Cultural foundation, to celebrate the 70th birthday of the Club, and as a tribute to Mary Reid, one of the founders of Yass Music Club. Yass Valley Shire Council also contributed to the transport to bring students from country schools into Yass for the concert.
The concert was held in the fantastic new auditorium at Yass High School. Students of Yass High School assisted the professional lighting and sound technicians, David Grigg and James Wallis, and other students were mentored by the cast. It was a unique experience for these students to work alongside professional musicians. As the show ended, many of the students came out of the auditorium still singing the Wiggles “Fruit salad! Yummy, yummy!” and exclaiming about how much they loved the concert.
Yass Music Club hopes that many of these students will continue to make music an important part of their lives. Who knows? Maybe one of them will be performing in the Sydney Opera House in future just like Laura Murphy. President of Yass Music Club, Peter Crisp OAM, thanked the sponsors and the staff of Yass High School for their help in bringing these professional musicians to Yass.
For more information about Yass Music Club, and to see the program for 2024, check out the website:
https://yassmusicclub.com
