The creative and culturally minded contingent of St John’s College is to be commended on an outstanding effort in Semester 1, with strong results across all ICC Cultural disciplines and a variety of local performances.
Naturally, it would be wise to acknowledge the ‘in competition’ success of our many creative thinkers and performers. A strong 5th in Debating from Max Bates, Max Durkin, Rory Fenelon and Sam McConaghy opened St John’s Cultural account for 2025. The steady hands of Nia Saleh and Amelia Coorey then conducted our choral singers to resonant 3rd place in the ChoralFest, performing City Called Heaven (Josephine Poelinitz), Shenandoah (James Erb) and Man in the Mirror (Michael Jackson).
The crowning glory of this semester, however, was the affirmation of Who Is John? (St John’s leading rock band) as the distinct and all-powerful dominator of the BandFest ICC competition. This marks the seventh time in a row St John’s has won the ICC BandFest! To put that in perspective, when St John’s established dominance over the top spot in this competition Malcolm Turnball was PM and Meghan Markle was a newly minted member of the Royal Family. We can only dream of the competence and stability found in Mellick Room, the physical and spiritual home of St John’s College Music, being replicated in elsewhere in our chaotic and volatile world.
Beyond the competitive stage, Who Is John? and Heaven On Earth (Jazz Band) had full schedules. There is no higher acclaim in the musical world than a fully booked calendar, such is the case for St John’s veritable band-opoly. Had you been on the guest list, you would have seen St John’s musicians at Jazz Night, Family Night, John’s Fest, Mardi-Bar, Women’s @ Home, Emmanuel Ball, UQ Law Ball and UQ Mess Ball to name a few.
At home, St John’s were treated to more than one show stopping performance. We began with Lachlan Wilson’s dazzling piano rendition of Aram Khachaturian’s Toccata in E-flat minor. Lachlan is a quiet super star, who exhibited genuine flair and technical prowess as he journeyed through Khachaturian’s swirling work. The 2025 St John’s College Idol representative Mia Lipp gave a delicate and moving performance of Make You Feel My Love. Mia crafted a beautiful performance, balancing the poetic weight of Bob Dylan’s text with a more delicate and lyrical Adele-like vocal approach. We are so looking forward to Mia’s appearance on the College Idol stage in Semester 2.
Finally, guests at the Peter Carnley Scholarship Dinner were treated to the honeyed sounds of the freshly formed Who Is Jazz ensemble. The trio of Victor Kyzintas (Vocals), Leo Kelly Correa (Keys) and Khai Van Heerden (Drums), warmed the brisk evening with everything from Sinatra to Sade.
I’d call that a first act well performed.