The Sydney Youth Orchestra is celebrating its 50th year of connecting though music with an outback adventure!
As part of the Sydney Youth Orchestras (SYO) 50th birthday celebrations, The Big West Tour will see over 70 musicians from the SYO hit the road for a 10-day musical adventure across regional NSW.
Beginning on Saturday, 24 June and ending on Saturday, 1July, the tour has so far travelled to travel to Cowra, Deniliquin, Gol Gol, and Wilcannia, with the SYO performing, work shopping, and collaborating with local communities and schools, On Thursday the 29th of June we rehearsed with The Wilcannia Public School Choir in preparation for our Concert this Saturday night. Highlights have included:
- Sunday 25 June -a World Premiere in Cowra of the ‘World Peace Suite’ by Nicholas Gentile, the work was inspired by his time in Cowra as an artist in residence. The performance took place on Darling Street and featured the SYO artists and Cowra Vocal Ensemble.
- Community and school concerts in Deniliquin, Gol Gol, and Wilcannia,where SYO will provided open rehearsals and workshops with both school choirs and band programs
- Meet the Orchestra Concerts, where children can have their first experience with an Orchestra, learning about the instruments through a fun and interactive concerts
- Saturday 1 July sees The Outback Gala in Broken Hill featuring Chief Conductor of the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and the Principal Conductor in Residence of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Benjamin Northey, conducting Dvorak’s 9th Symphony. The Gala audience will be treated to Ross Edwards’ Ecstatic Dance,as well as orchestral arrangements in collaboration with local singer-songwriters Leroy Johnson and Aimee Volkovsky.
The Outback Gala will also include the coming together of the SYO and 75 musicians from Broken Hill Civic Orchestra, BIU Brass Band, Broken Hill Philharmonic Choir and Broken Hill Community Choir to perform Jean Sibelius Finlandia.
SYO Chief Executive Office, Mia Patoulios, said the Big West Tour will provide a unique opportunity for local schools and organisations to collaborate with some of Australia’s most talented musicians.
“This is the first time in 20 years that SYO has travelled to the far edges of NSW and for many locals, this may be the first time they have seen a 70-pieceorchestra performance in their town.
“From Meet the Orchestra concerts, singer-songwriter collaborations, cultural experiences,and world premiere performances,the tour is designed to be a true musical conversation.
“We encourage local communities in Cowra, Deniliquin, Mildura, BrokenHill and Wilcannia to come and meet the musicians and support the local musicians who will beperforming with the SYO,” Patoulios said.
The Big West Tour is sponsored by Learning For Good, a next generation education technology company that connects schools with the world-class content Australian not-for-profits create.
Co-Founder and CEO of Learning For Good, Chris North, said he was proud to support the SYO and its Big West Tour.
“We are big supporters of the SYO and the Big West Tour because the benefits of music education are wide ranging.
“Learning for Good platform is supporting all the activities on the tour by providing free teaching resources for any school participating or attending a concert.
“Studies have shown that students who study music do better in language, reading and writing,along with other subjects.
“The challenge is that our teachers cannot be expected to deliver these classes without the right resources. That’s why we partner with organisations like the SYO to use our technology platform to connect NSW schools with experts in specialised subjects like music, breaking down barriers and borders,” North said.
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