Hunter Central Coast Region Wind Ensemble
New South Wales, Australia
Boricua College Choir
New York, NY
Scott Ryan and Michael Jobson, and Stephen Williams, directors
Present
Music from Around the World!
Including music of the Holiday Season
Saturday, December 14, 2013
3:00 PM
Church of the Intercession
550 W. 155th St.
New York, NY 10032
(map)
Free Community Concert
For more information:
(800) 395-2036
concerts@musiccelebrations.com
Program to be chosen from the following:
Greenhills Fantasy | Thomas Doss
Shepherd’s Hey * | Percy Grainger Arr. Schissel
Australian Sea Ballad | Robert Sheldon
Kosciuszko* | Brendan Collins
The Man from Snowy River* | Bruce Rowland Arr. Barry Bignell
Variations on a Korean Folk Song | John Barnes Chance
Gershwin! | Arr. Warren Barker
March of the Belgian Paratroopers | Pierre Leeman Arr. James Swearingen
Llwyn Onn* | Brian Hogg
Abram’s Pursuit | David R. Holsinger
African Symphony | Van McCoy Arr. Naohiro Iwai
*indicates Australian Composition
About the artists…
This Hunter Central Coast Region Wind Ensemble was formed as an initiative of the NSW Department Education & Training Hunter/Central Coast Region in 2005 and is administered by the Regional Arts Council. The band has a total of 80 members who will be traveling to the United States to perform in California, New York and Chicago . Membership is open to all public school students from years 5 – 12 representative of schools from the Hunter/Central Coast region of NSW in Australia. The ensemble has had successes at regional, state, national and international levels. This includes performances at the Sydney Opera House, Australian National Band Championships, National Eisteddfod at the national capital – Canberra, NSW Vice Regal performances for the Governor of NSW and the Pacific Basin International Music Festival in Hawaii.
Scott Ryan has established an impressive list of accomplishments as a musician, conductor and music educator. He has won many awards as a conductor at state, national and international levels, including the New South Wales Band Association‘s Young Musician of the year. He was presented with a NSW Department of Education and Training Award of Excellence for the development of school instrumental music in the Hunter/Central Coast Region in 2006. Last year Scott was selected as a participant in the Symphony Australia Conductor Development program. As the founding Director/Conductor of the Hunter/Central Coast Regional Wind Ensemble Scott has led the ensemble to success at festivals nationally and internationally, including a number of National Eisteddfod Championships, National Band Association Championships, a command performance in the Hawaii State Theatre, a command performance in the Musikverein Golden Hall in Vienna, a performance in Paris on Bastille Day and performances with the University of Nagoya and City of Ube Wind Ensemble in Japan.
Currently Scott is employed by The Arts Unit, NSW Department of Education and Communities as Instrumental Music Assistant, a position he has held since 2007. He is a regular conductor at the NSW State Music Camps, a member of the music team for the Schools Spectacular and is currently conductor of the NSW Public Schools Symphonic Wind Orchestra – National Champions in 2012 and 2013. Scott accompanied the NSW Public Schools Symphonic Wind Ensemble to the USA in December 2007, performing at the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic held in Chicago. During these two weeks Scott worked with renowned conductors including Professor Larry Curtis, Dr Glenn Price, Professor Jerry Junkin and Colonel Michael Coleburn (Director the USA Presidents Own Marine Band) Scott has held the position of Director of Bands and Orchestras at North Sydney Boys High School since October 2009 and has toured with the schools premier wind band to Hawaii in March 2011 to participate in Pacific Basin Music Festival.
The band was successful in achieving a silver award along with critical acclaim from the adjudicators. In 2012 the Symphonic Winds were awarded first place at the NSW Schools Band Festival. In 2012 Scott was awarded the prestigious Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association – most outstanding conductor award at the NSW Schools Band Festival. Scott has toured, performed, recorded and conducted ensembles throughout the USA, China, Japan, Singapore, Europe, New Zealand and Great Britain. In addition to conducting and providing workshops to various ensembles, Scott continues a successful performance career with the Australian Army Band, as well as freelance performances with various theatre orchestras and corporate bands. Scott has adjudicated the Newcastle Band Festival, Yamaha Music Festival, and NSW Bands Association State Solos in recent years.
Michael Jobson was awarded his Bachelor of Music with honors studying tuba under Steve Rosse. Since completing his studies, Michael has become a well-known conductor in the Newcastle region, conducting many school ensembles both at a primary and secondary level. He has been a conductor and tutor at many State Music Camps, as well as camps all over the state of New South Wales including the North West Band camp, Riverina Music Camp and the North Coast Music Camp.
Michael is currently Conductor and Band Director of ensembles at four Newcastle schools, as well as the Combined Schools Concert Band, The University of Newcastle Junior Concert Band, and the Hunter Central Coast Regional Wind Ensemble. His time with the Hunter Central Coast Wind Ensemble has seen him conduct many performances as well as concerts on their 2008 European tour, and their tour to Japan in 2010. He is currently completing a Masters of Teaching. Michael is looking forward to experiencing the high level performances and workshops American wind band programs offer, as well as the atmosphere and excitement of The Midwest Conference.
Stephen Williams has established himself as one of Australia’s most versatile conductors, distinguishing himself with an impressive record of achievement in a variety of musical settings. In addition to conducting most of the Orchestras for Symphony Services International he has conducted, recorded and toured with many of Australia’s finest Symphonic Bands and Jazz Ensembles. He has directed and performed with Australian groups at the North Sea, Montreux, Edinburgh and Monterey Jazz Festivals, has conducted concerts in Carnegie Hall and taken Australian orchestras, symphonic bands and jazz ensembles to conferences in the U.S.A, Japan, Europe, the U.K, Singapore and China.
In 1989 Stephen was awarded a conducting scholarship by Symphony Australia and for three years studied orchestral conducting under Werner Andreas Albert, during which time he conducted concerts and made recordings with many of the Symphony Australia Orchestras. In 1994 he was awarded the Harry Begian Conducting Scholarship, which enabled him to study advanced Symphonic Band conducting at the University of Illinois under Professor James Keene. In 1995 he was awarded a Master’s Degree in Orchestral Conducting and Research from the University of Queensland. Stephen is currently Chief Conductor Instrumental for The Arts Unit, a specialist unit in the N.S.W Department of Education & Communities, taking up this position at the beginning of 1999. He is the musical director for the NSW Schools Spectacular, the world’s biggest variety show and has been since 1991. He also is the founding Musical Director of the Northern Beaches Symphony Orchestra.
Prior to this Stephen had a full time position as conducting coordinator for the School of Instrumental Music in Perth. He was also a member of staff at the W.A Conservatorium of Music, Edith Cowan University, lecturing and conducting in the Classical, Jazz and Education departments. Between 1992 and 1995, Stephen was a full time member of staff at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, occupying the position of Director of the Wind Symphony as well as lecturing in Conducting, Instrumental Pedagogy and Jazz studies. Over the last ten years he has been a conductor in concerts and on many tours with Orchestra Victoria (one of two professional orchestras in Melbourne). He is the chief conductor for their innovative education program ‘On the mOVe’, a program which allows students in country regions to be tutored and mentored by Orchestra Victoria players in two-day workshops. For several years he was also engaged by Symphony Services International to present and conduct concerts for schools with the Sydney Sinfonia. Stephen also works as a freelance conductor and instrumental consultant and is frequently called upon to lecture, conduct clinics and adjudicate both in Australia and overseas.
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