Australian Concert Bands

NSW Public Schools Symphonic Wind Ensemble (SSWE) are playing tonight at Pittwater High with the Northern Beaches Concert Band at 7:30pm.

SSWE are preparing for a trip to the Midwest Band and Orchestra Directors Conference in Chicago in December where they will be performing in the International Ballroom. Being accepted to play at the conference was a major acheivement with only 2 overseas (outside US) groups chosen this year. In fact this will be only the 3rd group from Australia ever to play at the conference over its 51 year history.

The group is made up of students from public schools across NSW (mostly Sydney metro) and are playing a challenging program including a transcription of Peter Graham's Journey to the Centre of the Earth originlly written for Brass Band. Bushdance by Ralpgh Hultgren Valdres March and the premierre of a brand new Frank Cesarini work Bulgarian Dances.

SSWE will present their full touring repertoire on Tuesday 5th December at the Salvation Army Congress Hall on Elizabeth Street in Sydney... I'll keep you posted but prepare to be there!!!

Steve Rosse Principal Tuba with Sydney Symphony Orchestra will be a featured performer with the band in the US. We are hoping he will also be playing with us on the 5th December Premierring the Phillip Sparke Tuba Concerto! What a blast to hear such a great player!!

Please come along tonight if you're free and put the 5th December in your diary's.

Paul.

What a great achievement! I hope you and the band have a wonderful trip to the States. I bet the kids are excited and more! I wish I could come to the concert, but it's a bit of a drive from Victoria...

Regards,
Sandy Sexton

And it's even further from Adelaide. But my congratulations and very best wishes to all the members of the travelling group. I hope you have a wonderful time. Isn't music wonderful - it can take you across or around the World.

Hi Paul,

Journey to the Centre of the Earth is an awesome piece. I have not seen or heard the Wind band transcription yet. Does it work well for Concert Band? I have often felt that some other transciptions of Brass Band works such as Harrisons Dream are a bit tricky for Wind Bands because of the technical requirements. Journey is not as hard as some of Peter Graham and Phillip Sparkes other pieces (it just sounds hard) so I can imagine that it would work quite well for Wind Band.

Hope the preparations for your tour are going really well.

Thanks for the kind words all... Yes, the trip will be fantastic. We are doing workshops with Larry Curtis from Long Beach CA and with the US Marine Band!!!!

Journey has been a challenge as was Harrisons (A grade Concert Band test piece from last years Nationals). The great thing is that Graham did hiss own transcriptions for wind band; at least we know that the integrity of the work remains as the composer had envisaged.There is certainly some feindishly difficult things for the woodwinds, particularly in Harrisons Dream!!

It is unfortunate that the midwest does not allow any works over 10min to be performed. We have cut over 4 min out of Journey!!

more soon...

Thanks for the kind words all... Yes, the trip will be fantastic. We are doing workshops with Larry Curtis from Long Beach CA and with the US Marine Band!!!!

Journey has been a challenge as was Harrisons (A grade Concert Band test piece from last years Nationals). The great thing is that Graham did hiss own transcriptions for wind band; at least we know that the integrity of the work remains as the composer had envisaged.There is certainly some feindishly difficult things for the woodwinds, particularly in Harrisons Dream!!

It is unfortunate that the midwest does not allow any works over 10min to be performed. We have cut over 4 min out of Journey!!

more soon...