A Night to Remember: Hilda’s Fest 2024
By Georgie Macho
This past Sunday night, St Hilda’s hosted our annual band night, Hilda’s Fest, and it went off without a hitch. Inside The Workers Club in Fitzroy, our wonderful music convenors had lit up the room. Sparkling streamers and inflatable disco balls donned the walls with glamour. Pink lights lit up the stage and the 70’s disco theme was readily underway. Soundchecks had been completed by each of the bands, teasing us with a taste of each setlist. All that was left was for the room to fill up with students, alumni, and friends dressed in glitzy costumes, ready to boogie the night away.
As people began to arrive, the excitement in the air was palpable. The convenors did their final checks of the stage and its equipment, and musicians chatted nervously with one another, excited to perform. From rock, to musical theatre, to jazz, and even a DJ set to finish off the evening, the night was chock full of wonderful music brought to us by our very own students. We were even lucky enough to have a sound engineer provided to us from the venue, making sure each band sounded its best.
The R&B/Jazz band kicked off the night with a bang, performing hits by Bruno Mars, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, and more. The crowd was moving, grooving, and singing along to the sweet serenade. The band looked right at home on the stage, dancing along to their own beat and interacting with friends in the crowd.
Throughout the night, the high quality of music only continued with hits such as Raining Men, Mr Brightside and I Kissed a Girl by the Pop and Rock bands. In an unmissable moment, we were treated to a solo by Saxon on the saxophone, which left the crowd cheering like mad fans. Later on, the musical theatre band serenaded us to the sweet sounds of Mamma Mia and Rent, providing us with perfect sing-along hits.
Though the nerves settled in for some of us performers, the crowd never wavered in their support. No matter the song, nor who was in the band, everyone in the crowd gave their highest encouragement to those on stage. And boy, did they deserve the cheers. The sheer amount of musical talent at this college continues to astound me. Even as years go by, students come and go, the music never stops here at Hilda’s.
The night concluded with a DJ set by one of the students, Bryce, who hit the stage playing a 70’s themed set. The crowd, including myself, danced along to the likes of the Bee Gees and Gloria Gaynor as the night came to a close.
It’s no wonder this event is one of my favourites on the calendar. In the three years I’ve attended and performed at Hilda’s Fest, it just keeps getting better. A massive thank you to the music convenors, April, Alice, Saskia, and Sonia for running this fantastic event and a brilliant job to all of the performers of the night; you were all incredible!
Make sure you head over to our Flickr page to check out all the amazing photos from the night courtesy of Student Photographer, Annika Rasmussen.