We Love Jane Rutter

Happy flutists: Felicity McKellar with Jane Rutter

Mitchell Conservatorium recently hosted a visit of Australia's famous flutist, Jane Rutter to Bathurst, Lithgow and surrounding towns. Jane is a great model for students to follow. She makes her performances so enjoyable with her amazing technical ability and sensitivity and in the way she always engages with her audience.

Students loved the way she led the flute workshops and also enjoyed being acknowledged in her concerts.

An audience member at Lithgow was greatly moved and uplifted when she attended the concert in the church, which had been the venue for her sister's funeral the day before.

Mitchell Con students head off to hospital

Performing at Bathurst Base Hospital is challenging and rewarding. You have to forget about having a stationary audience, and pretend you are making a radio program, realising that people are going to be making noises and walking across the stage area while you play.

Zoe Rodwell, Arts Coordinator, assures us that the music is greatly appreciated and can be heard all over the hospital.

With this in mind, Felicity and Cheryl McKellar played some beautiful music on flute and piccolo (Felicity) and classical guitar (Cheryl), which included a suite of pieces by Pujol describing Buenos Aires and the terrific Christmas song, Carol of the Bells.



Stephen Aveling-Rowe played Burgmuller's Gewitter and Tansman's Le Petit Oiseau on a digital keyboard and later played some cello pieces, accompanied by his mother Merilyn. Unfortunately the memory card on the digital camera filled up before he played a beautiful rendition of Saint-Saëns Le Cygne, but we did manage to capture some of Let Me Call You Sweetheart. We apologise for the sudden early ending and for all the hospital goings on during the performances we have put up here.