Sydney Wind Symphony (SWS) is one of the leading amateur

wind ensembles 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 ...

in the

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

metropolitan region. It is the successor of various incarnations of the City of Sydney band formed from 1985 onwards – City of Sydney Youth Concert Band, City of Sydney Bicentennial Concert Band, The City of Sydney Concert Band, and City of Sydney Wind Ensemble.

History

City of Sydney Youth Festival Concert Band

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 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, the City of Sydney is ...

with a view to forming a Youth Band to celebrate the

International Youth Year The year 1985 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Youth Year (IYY). It was held to focus attention on issues of concern to and relating to youth. The proclamation was signed on 1 January 1985, by United Nations Secretary Gen ...

, 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 and ...

and the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

City of Sydney Bicentennial Concert Band

In 1986, having forged a unique link to the City of Sydney and patronage of the

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 b ...

, Victor Grieve sought and was given approval by the Sydney Council that the band should continue on at the end of International Year of Youth as the "City of Sydney Bicentennial Concert Band" with the aim of performing for events leading up to Australia's 200th birthday. 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 Darling Harbour is a harbour and neighborhood adjacent to the city centre of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, that is made up of a large recreational and pedestrian precinct that is situated on western outskirts of the Sydney central busines ...

and all over the state of

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

. 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

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, England in 1987 and to take part in the British Celebrations commemorating the sailing of the

First Fleet The First Fleet were eleven British ships which transported a group of settlers to mainland Australia, marking the beginning of the History of Australia (1788–1850), European colonisation of Australia. It consisted of two Royal Navy vessel ...

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 (USA), Calgary (Canada) and Nagoya (Japan).

City of Sydney Concert Band

In 1989, the City of Sydney Bicentennial Concert Band had completed its charter on 31st December 1988 and an interested group of parents and friends of the band prepared a new submission to they Sydney council for a permanent concert and marching band to represent the City. The proposal was accepted and the Council enthusiastically endorsed the re-formation of City of Sydney Bicentennial Concert Band as the City of Sydney Concert Band as its permanent successor. One of Australia's most distinguished band conductors, former Director of Music of the Royal Australian Air Force Squadron Leader (Ret'd) Michael Butcher, was appointed the Director of Music. During the first quarter of 1992 the band has enjoyed its most active period since the height of the Bicentennial Celebrations and was described as "the musical voice of our city" by Alderman

Frank Sartor Francesco Ernest Sartor (born 9 November 1951) is an Australian former 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 2011. He wa ...

, 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 ''Queen Elizabeth 2'' (''QE2'') is a retired British ocean liner. Built for the Cunard Line, the ship was operated as a transatlantic liner and cruise ship from 1969 to 2008. She was laid up until converted into a floating hotel, operating sin ...

, the arrival of Her Majesty

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

and

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...

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, New South Wales, Australia, spanning Port Jackson, Sydney Harbour from the Sydney central business district, central business district (CBD) to the North Shore (Sydney), North ...

. In 1992 it undertook a three-week European tour which included an appearance at World Expo '92 in Seville.

City of Sydney Wind Ensemble

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.

Sydney Wind Symphony

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 The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, officially branded as Sydney 2000, and also known as the Games of the New Millennium, were an international multi-sport event held from 15 September to 1 October ...

* Centenary of Federation Parade * Lord Mayor's Charity Concert * 60th Anniversary of the

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

Concert tours

* UK and France, 1987 * Japan * Canada * USA * Nagoya, Japan, 1990 *

Ayers Rock Uluru (; ), also known as Ayers Rock ( ) and officially gazetted as UluruAyers Rock, is a large sandstone monolith. It crops out near the centre of Australia in the southern part of the Northern Territory, south-west of Alice Springs. Ul ...

, 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 ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, Australia, and owned by Nine Entertainment. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuous ...

'', 28 April 1985
"Sydney Wind Symphony, Mosman Council photograph, 26 October 2008"
{{authority control Musical groups from Sydney Australian orchestras Concert bands