Every December, the Junior School at the International School of Florence hosts the Festival of Song. This year, we gathered at Chiesa della Sacra Famiglia. The programme showcased wonderful performances from every grade including the school’s Cantabile Choir.
The Festival of Song is a wonderful ISF tradition and I was delighted to welcome parents to see their children perform. The festival really demonstrated the broad range of talent that we have at ISF, with singers and musicians performing to the very highest standard. We are incredibly proud of our children and delighted to showcase their hard work in the beautiful setting of Chiesa della Sacra Famiglia. A big thank you to Ms. Tanja Kurstin, Music Director, for pulling together such a wonderful festival.
Sharyn Baddeley, Head of School
I had the opportunity to play the piano at the Festival of Song, which is one of the most important musical events at ISF. For this year’s festival, I played Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op. posth by Frédéric Chopin. I am also a member of the ISF Cantabile Choir. When I was five, I moved to Florence from Shanghai and joined EY2 (Early Years 2) at ISF. I started to learn to play piano at the age of four. Last year, I started to attend a piano masterclass led by Prof. Siavush Gadjiev every other Friday in Trieste. So, I travel regularly between Firenze and Trieste. Last summer, I won a gold medal at an important international piano competition. I really like ISF where I experience love and care from all my teachers and classmates, and I enjoy sharing my performances with my friends and teachers, who encourage me a lot on my musical path.
Angela (Grade 4)
I was invited by Ms. Tanja to sing two songs with the Cantabile Choir and I had a solo in Angel. Singing is one of my favorite passions. I have been singing for five years at the Florence Opera House (Maggio Musicale) for Soprano 1. One of the many opportunities when I came to ISF was to sing solos at concerts with the choir. Singing in front of people is not an easy thing to do, but tension is not always a bad thing to have. It keeps me aware of mistakes and more focused. The scariest part of a concert is going on stage and singing the first note. Then hearing my voice, with the music, makes me more relaxed.
Darius (Grade 6)
