Co-curricular

Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival Update

Over the weekend, the College Orchestra took part in the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival (ASBOF) at the Conservatorium of Music. This festival takes place over two months at various venues and invites schools from all over the country to participate. 

Our Orchestra was entered into the Richard Gill Event – the festival’s premier orchestra category for “established ensembles which are playing at a high level” – one of the flagship events on the final day. It was a great experience for our boys to play in a professional concert hall to an onlooking public audience in front of world-class adjudicators. They played amazingly and were rewarded for their efforts with a silver award! They should be incredibly proud of themselves. We weren’t the biggest group there. We weren’t the most technically accomplished. But what our boys had was energy, passion, and character, and this comes through in the music making it come alive and giving it meaning – something the judges are always looking for.

The Concert Band played in their event – the Graham Lloyd Event for Secondary School Concert Bands – a few weeks ago at Kambala and also performed brilliantly! They were awarded a bronze award for their efforts, which is a great achievement.

Next up is the Concert Band’s participation in the NSW State Band Championships in Penrith at the end of August.

Dr David Taylor

Ensemble Coordinator