Seven of Newington’s High School Wind bands and Jazz ensembles went off with a bang at the NSW School Band Festival last weekend. Approximately 160 high school boys participated in performances across a variety of musical styles over an entire weekend, with six Gold medals won and one Silver.

The festival began on Saturday evening with the prestigious Percy Grainger Event for Sydney’s premier Wind ensembles. This section featured performances by ten groups whose repertoire is judged to be of the highest standard. All bands performed at an exceptional level and the Newington Symphonic Winds group certainly held their own. I had chosen repertoire most often performed by university ensembles, requiring of the boys  high level technical mastery and excellent ensemble skill. These pieces provided the boys with nowhere to hide, and to their credit, they nailed it.

The performance exhibited magnificent playing by Symphonic Winds and featured moving solos by many of the boys. Newington was rewarded with a Gold medal and the prestigious ABODA NSW Conductor’s Award for presenting the most challenging, professional and entertaining program on the night.

Sunday saw quality performances of six other groups in their respective divisions – Year 7 Band, Concert Band, Wind Orchestra, Junior Jazz Ensemble, Intermediate Jazz Ensemble and Big Band. A further four Gold medals were awarded. Special thanks goes to Ms Rebecca Grubb and Mr Christopher Paton for their assistance and leadership of the ensembles.

Congratulations to all the boys who participated. The hard work put in since the start of the school year resulted in very fine performances! We can proudly boast not only first class ensembles at the highest level, but also enviable depth in the College’s Band and Jazz programs!

Dr Luke Gilmour
Director of Bands