Students from University of Melbourne Wind Symphony showcase talent in interstate tour
The University of Melbourne Wind Symphony will perform an interstate tour this month with its first-ever visits to Brisbane and Sydney.
Led by Associate Professor Jackie Hartenberger, the University of Melbourne Wind Symphony features the top student wind instrumentalists from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.
Across three concerts (in Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney), the Wind Symphony will showcase the musical talents of more than 60 student musicians as they perform works by Paul Hindemith, Kevin Day, and the Australian composers Katharine Parker, Catherine Likhuta, Melody Eötvös, and Paul Dean.
Conservatorium staff will be celebrated in two recent works. In the Sydney concert, Carla Blackwood, Senior Lecturer in Horn, will perform as soloist in Catherine Likhuta's Sure-Fire Concerto for Horn and Wind Ensemble, composed in 2023. In all three cities the program includes Hun Tur, originally composed for the University of Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s international tour in 2023 by Dr Melody Eötvös, Senior Lecturer in Composition. This tour will premiere her wind band transcription.
The tour also features a special collaborative performance with the Queensland Conservatorium Wind Orchestra, presenting the world premiere of Paul Dean’s new jointly commissioned work, Symphony No. 4 for Winds.
Associate Professor Jackie Hartenberger said she looks forward to showcasing the Conservatorium’s outstanding student talent on national stages.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to perform with the up-and-coming musicians who are currently studying at the Conservatorium. How exciting to have a series of performances that support the development of our artistry, all while creating musical memories for musicians and audiences alike,” she said.
Professor Richard Kurth, Director of the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, said the tour will be an enriching experience for students, and is also a rare example of collaboration between peer institutions.
“This tour is designed to give our students an intensive performance experience, and also to foster friendships with peers at the Queensland Conservatorium and Sydney Conservatorium,” Professor Kurth said.
“In Brisbane, the shared world premiere of Paul Dean’s new work will be the first such collaboration in recent history. It involves a short intensive period of learning and performance for Queensland and Melbourne students side by side, and it will be a truly exciting and rewarding experience. The Brisbane premiere also includes two students from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore, which is the third co-commissioner of Paul Dean’s new work.
“And in Sydney, the symphonic ensembles of the Sydney and Melbourne Conservatoria will present concerts on consecutive nights, with each ensemble having a rare opportunity to hear their peers and cheer them on.”
Tour dates and venues:
17 August 2025
21 August 2025
23 August 2025