We asked budding music writers at the Sydney Conservatorium to review a new Australian classical CD.

Following Limelight editor Francis Merson’s recent lecture about music criticism at the Sydney Conservatorium, we gave students a little homework and asked them to submit their own reviews of the new album from the Con resident ensemble the New Sydney Wind Quintet.

Limelight published all the student submissions and invited readers to vote for their favourite review. We’re pleased to announce the winner of our Young Critics’ competition: Helena Czajka.

Helena receives a year’s subscription to Limelight magazine and a copy of the Quintopia CD. Her review is below, as is the audio for one of the charming tracks from the album. You can read Limelight‘s own critique in the December issue, on sale November 16.

Thanks to all who entered and voted, and congratulations Helena!

Grainger Lisbon

QUINTOPIA
Ravel; Grainger; Nielsen; Chan
New Sydney Wind Quintet
Self-released (www.nswq.com.au)

★★★

New Sydney Wind Quintet entices the inner child in us all to come out to play in Quintopia, the follow-up to their debut CD. The wind quintet’s instrumentation lends itself beautifully to capturing the youthful innocence in the repertoire.

Quintopia brings to life the tales of Ravel’s Ma Mère L’Oye with shifting tone colours...