The Strings and Guitar Concert was a special occasion, highlighting students from both Preparatory and Senior Schools. This unique vertical concert not only celebrated musical excellence across age groups, but also created a space where our youngest musicians glimpsed their futures and senior students reflected on their musical journeys at Churchie.

Prep Strings - Gaelic Castle (Newbold)

Eagle Guitars - Southern Sky (Neville)

Chamber Strings 1 (acc. James Duffy - piano) - Concerto Grosso (Bloch)

Symphony Orchestra - El Relicario (Padilla arr. Isaac)

Chamber Strings 1 (feat. Junee Kim - vln, Daniel Huo - vla) - Serenade for String Orchestra (Suk)

Symphony Orchestra (feat. Eric Kim) - Danse Macabre (Saint-Saens)

Gypsy Strings - Swing Gitan (Debarre)

Composition, Instrumentation & Programming by Earl Greco

Circus In Town

Reindeer in Rhythm - A Swingin' Holiday Tune with Solitaire Miles & Martin Gioani
"Take a sleigh ride back to the golden age of holiday jazz with the cheerful original tune "Reindeer in Rhythm." Evoking the timeless charm of classic Christmas recordings by the crooners of yesteryear, Chicago's Solitaire Miles brings her smooth, classic vocals to this delightful Christmas tale about Santa and his reindeer. Joined by Parisian gypsy jazz guitarist and arranger Martin Gioani, they create a playful frolic that enchants listeners young and old alike. Together they blend nostalgic rhythm with a touch of Christmas magic - where Santa swings, the reindeer jump, and the season shines in full Technicolor." - JM REID Chicago's Music Guide

Solitaire Miles - Reindeer in Rhythm

In moonlit winds the shadows wake,
a whisper carved in sky and lake.
Fjori Orak begins to rise,
a pulse of fire beneath the ice.

Fjori Orak

"Vocalist Solitaire Miles comes out of the Patsy Cline tradition. She sings Western swing material with warm highs and holds her lows neatly. There's a jazziness about Miles's phrasing, but she holds fast to a sound reminiscent of roadside bars where just three people are left near closing at the pinball machine. Solid accompaniment by jazz-influenced sax, fiddle, guitar, slide guitar, piano, bass and drums.  I'm a Fool to Care says it all.  Same goes for I'll Never Be Free."  Wall Street Journal
 
"Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas includes some of Chicago's best Jazz and Country players.  The group is pure Cowboy Jazz, and Miles adds a lively vocal style that brings to mind a winning blend of Patsy Cline and Billie Holiday. " - Downbeat Magazine
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"Savvy souls know there's a big difference between Country music and Western music. Western Swing band Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas were rightfully  honored in Fort Worth at the Academy of Western Artists' 20th annual Will Rogers Awards for 'Best Western Swing Song'" - Billboard Magazine
 
"Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas is a new album of Western Swing which  is popular with many folks,  and I do think this group does it very well,  it's a lovely album." -Marie Crichton BBC Radio
 

"You can't listen to western swing and not smile, it's impossible not to smile, it's feel good music.  Her voice is wonderful, what an instrument." - Michael Feldman, NPR

 

"Solitaire Miles may be best known for jazz, but the vocalist is on a new adventure involving Western Swing leading Susie Blue and the Lonesome Fellas.  The Academy of Western Artists awarded the band with Western swing song of the year. " 

- Jessi Virtusio, Chicago Tribune

 

"In her home base of Chicago Solitaire Miles boasts an avid following as a singer equally at home with jazz and swing. Given that combination of styles, it’s no surprise—but an unexpected delight—to hear what she can do with western swing, which is not all that far removed from what she has been doing for years now. In her guise as Susie Blue, with her band (many of them her regular bandmates) billed as The Lonesome Fellas, she deploys her warm, sultry voice on choice material, strictly top drawer fare, from some of the most important songwriters in western swing history..."  David McGee, Deep Roots Magazine

Radio Desperado mixes a sparkling coctail of Afrobeat, Balkanbeats, Cumbia, Electroswing, Mestizo, Kuduro, Ska, Reggae and many more. 
He blends global dance music into a groovy mix, beatmatching the most diverse styles into one great partywave!

Radio Desperado is resident dj in the latin pub Barlaban and has spread his vibes at Couleur Café, Polé Polé Beach, Dranouter, Balkan Sonic (UK) and many more!!

He shared the decks with Buscemi, Merdan Taplak, Soulshakers, TLP, 4T4 and the Turntable Dubbers! He is also part of the crew that organises Kokopelli, a 3-day multicultural festival in the Far West-Flanders.

On top of that he presents a radioshow about world music together with his friend Ruby Roots. The show is called 'Radio Esperanto' and plays on Quindo!

Churchie has a long history of excellence in music and music education. The School was established in 1912 and since that time has had a strong association with St John’s Cathedral. Cathedral choristers are given scholarships to attend Churchie and further broaden their involvement in a multitude of outstanding ensembles whilst singing in the choir and beyond once their voices begin to change. 

The music programme has always had an enviable reputation within Australia both for its depth of talent developed within the School and the broad range of musical disciplines in which it seeks to engage every pupil who attends the School.

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New tracks tagged #Gypsy Swing