The Sydney Youth Band of the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

(or ''SYB'') is a brass band based in

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, whose membership is that of people aged 13–30. It is primarily made up of Salvation Army members, including soldiers and others that attend The Salvation Army. It is a part of the Salvation Army's ''NSW/ACT Division'' but functions more as a regional youth band for the Sydney,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

and

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

area.

Performances and Tours

*SYB performed with the

Melbourne Staff Band The Melbourne Staff Band (MSB) is the premier brass band of the Salvation Army in Australia History From its beginnings in Adelaide the Salvation Army spread rapidly and soon reached Victoria where the first corps in the state was opened in D ...

when they toured in 2007. *They participated in 2007's Salvation Army commissioning weekend activities playing in a concert with Sydney Congress Hall Band, The Sydney Veterans Band and Brisbane City Temple Band. These four bands then combined to make a "mass band" celebrating

Sydney Congress Hall Sydney Congress Hall is a Salvation Army Corps situated in the Sydney's central business district. It is a local expression of The Salvation Army, an international movement which is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Meetin ...

's 125th anniversary celebrations. *The band performed at 2008's

World Youth Day World Youth Day (WYD) is an event for young people organized by the Catholic Church that was initiated by Pope John Paul II in 1985, sometimes nicknamed in later years as the "Catholic Woodstock". Its concept has been influenced by the Light-Li ...

celebrations in front of 200,000 people. Specifically, at the re-enactment of the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

Barangaroo Barangaroo was the second wife of Bennelong, who was interlocutor between the Aboriginal people and the early British colonists in New South Wales. Barangaroo was a member of the Cammeraygal clan. While Bennelong spent considerable time in th ...

on Friday 18 July. *A group of six performers from the band performed the Salvation Army

hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

tune ''Abide With Me'' on Channel Seven's Sunrise morning program. *The band toured Victoria from 29 to 31 August in 2008. They visited South Barwon and Warragul

Corps Corps (; plural ''corps'' ; from French , from the Latin "body") is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies great ...

as well as

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

City Temple. *SYB played with James Morrison and The Onfire Big Band at

in November 2008, for a Christmas concert. *The 'PNG Tour 09', which commenced in early July 2009, saw the band playing their unique style of Brass in crowds of up to 3000+ people, they were the first foreign Salvation Army band to tour

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

since ''The Salvation Army, Campsie Corps Band'' in 1985.

Bandmasters

Ronald Prussing

Ronald J. Prussing is the current bandmaster of the Sydney Youth Band. After graduating from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1974, Ronald was appointed to Principal Trombone in the Sydney Elizabethan Orchestra, currently known as the

Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra The Opera Australia Orchestra (based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia) is a full-time salaried orchestra, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Opera Australia. It is one of three salaried orchestras in Sydney, along with the Sydney Symphony Orches ...

. He held this position for two years. He was also appointed to Associate Principal Trombone of the

Sydney Symphony Orchestra The Sydney Symphony Orchestra (SSO) is an Australian symphony orchestra that was initially formed in 1908. Since its opening in 1973, the Sydney Opera House has been its home concert hall. Simone Young is the orchestra's chief conductor and firs ...

(SSO) until 1986 when he was appointed to Principal. Ronald has been bandmaster to many bands, including the one and only

Band. Ronald has had a very successful musical career, however his appointment to the Sydney Youth Band was a turning point in his career. Since becoming bandmaster of the Sydney Youth Band, Ronald has been quoted to have said "I wish I was the Bandmaster when SYB was still good”.

The Band Executive

As of 31 July 2018 the SYB band executive is:

References

{{Reflist Salvation Army brass bands Australian brass bands Salvationism in Australia