On Saturday evening, Woburn’s own student led Jazz Combo participated in St. James Cathedral’s 8th annual Sleeping Children Around the World (SCAW) fundraising event called “A Night with Lynette and Friends”. Sleeping Children Around the World is an organization that works to provide children with blankets, mattresses, and mosquito netting to make living more bearable in developing countries. Jazz Combo group was honoured to participate in such a meaningful concert and their playing was well received.
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PHOTOS Images from the event
NEWS Combo's first gig with SCAW in 2003
NEWS 2004 coverage
However, despite a high calibre performance, Woburn was just one of many outstanding groups that performed at St. James Cathedral that night.
Performers included Cosburn Middle School Grade 8 Band and Choir, operatic sopranos, the Horizons student led choir, Francis Li, and the Toronto Male Welsh Voice Choir. It was truly an experience for the combo members to be a part of such a diverse and musically talented concerts.
The Horizons choir, masterfully led by a student conductor, is a group of young students that sing high difficulty SATB music. That night, they sang a beautifully arrand version of Silent Night with impeccable tuning and rhythmic accuracy. However, their true skill was showcased when they performed a choral piece by Eric Whitacre that required, at times, at least six part harmony if not more. Though they were a small group with a relatively small sound, their technical abilities and discipline were truly amazing for their age.
Another of the highlight performances at SCAW was a young pianist by the name of Francis Li from York Mills Collegiate. He held the packed Cathedral hypnotized for 7 minutes with his own beautifully written composition. His talent was mind-blowing because he not only possessed masterful technique, but he was also able to compose his own captivating and complex song.
Needless to say, Jazz Combo was one of the many lively performances of the night and they were well received. All-in-all, it was a successful music night from all of the groups that were asked to perform that night.
