The

wind band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

has been known as the City of Sydney Youth Concert Band, City of Sydney Bicentennial Concert Band, The City of Sydney Concert Band, City of Sydney Wind Ensemble and is now known as Sydney Wind Symphony, one of the leading amateur wind ensembles in the Sydney metropolitan region.

History

In 1984, Victor Grieve approached the

Sydney City Council The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...

with a view to forming a Youth Band to celebrate the International Year of Youth, under the patronage and sponsorship of the City Council. The City of Sydney Youth Concert Band was formed in February of that year, 65 players being selected from the Sydney Metropolitan area. During 1984 the band performed with great distinction performing at the

Sydney Town Hall The Sydney Town Hall is a late 19th-century heritage-listed town hall building in the city of Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, Australia, housing the chambers of the Lord Mayor of Sydney, council offices, and venues for meetings an ...

and the Sydney Opera House. With the support of the Sydney Council it was agreed that the band should continue on at the end of International Year of Youth as the "City of Sydney Bicentennial Concert Band". New auditions were held, and from 350 applicants, 70 players were selected. The group have given many concerts, including Sydney Town Hall, the Sydney Opera House, Darling Harbour and all over the state of

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. The objectives or aim of the band were to give public performances in the months leading up to and during Bicentennial Year (1988). The band was proud to visit the sister city of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, England in 1987 and to take part in the British Celebrations commemorating the sailing of the First Fleet to Australia in 1787 and performed with distinction in the presence of Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh, as part of a hectic two week tour of the United Kingdom and France. The Band also travelled to sister city

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

(USA), Calgary (Canada) and

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

(Japan). From 1989 the ensemble, described in 1992 as "the musical voice of our city" by Alderman

Frank Sartor Francesco Ernest "Frank" Sartor AO (born 9 November 1951) is a former Australian politician who served as New South Wales Minister for Climate Change and the Environment and Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer) between 2009 and ...

Lord Mayor of Sydney The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Sydney is the head of the Council of the City of Sydney, which is the local government area covering the central business district of Sydney in the State of New South Wales, Australia. The Lord Mayor has be ...

, was known as The City of Sydney Concert Band and represented the city at a number of civic functions, including the Lord Mayor's charity concert, the arrival and departure of the Queen Elizabeth 2, the arrival of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 1921 – 9 April 2021) was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he served as the consort of the British monarch from E ...

at Sydney Town Hall and the 60th Anniversary of the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North Shore. The view of the bridg ...

. In 1992 it undertook a three-week European tour which included an appearance at World Expo '92 in Seville. In 1999, the concert band changed its name to the City of Sydney Wind Ensemble and continued, this time, without the sponsorship of the Council of the City of Sydney. Since 2008 the ensemble has been known as Sydney Wind Symphony.

Competitions

Sydney Wind Symphony has competed regularly in the A Grade Open Concert Band Competition and was declared National Champion in 2000 and 2004, New South Wales State Champion in 2003 and 2005 and was placed second in both the National and State competitions in 2009.

Notable performances

Performances of note include: * World Expo '92 Seville * Australia National Day celebrations in 1992 * Visit of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh * Host City announcement for the 2000 Olympic Games * Centenary of Federation Parade * Lord Mayor's Charity Concert * 60th Anniversary of the

* Various Australia Day Celebrations, World Cup ticket matches and many more.

Concert tours

* UK & France, 1987 * Japan * Canada * USA *

, Japan, 1990 *

Ayers Rock Uluru (; pjt, Uluṟu ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone formation in the centre of Australia. It is in the southern part of the Northern Territory, southwest of Alice Springs. ...

, Northern Territory, Australia, 1991 * Europe, 1992 * Eastern Europe, 1997

Musical directors

* Victor Grieve, City of Sydney Youth Concert Band * Victor Grieve, City of Sydney Bicentennial Band * Harold Pollard, Assistant Conductor, City of Sydney Bicentennial Band * Michael Butcher, City of Sydney Concert Band, 1989–1999 * John Buckley, The City of Sydney Wind Ensemble, 2000 * Steve Hillinger, The City of Sydney Wind Ensemble, 2001–2006 * John Buckley, Sydney Wind Symphony, 2007–2012 * Lloyd Edge, Sydney Wind Symphony, (Guest Musical Director) 2012 * Mark Brown, Sydney Wind Symphony, (Guest Musical Director) 2012 * Mark Brown, Sydney Wind Symphony, 2013–present

References

External links

City of Sydney Youth Festival Concert Band Concert Advertisement, The Sydney Morning Herald, 28 April 1985

Sydney Wind Symphony, Mosman Council Photograph 26 October 2008

Sydney Wind Symphony Official WebsiteBand Association of New South Wales, State Concert Championships 2010
{{authority control Australian orchestras Music in Sydney