Victorian State Champions 2017
Each year bands come from all over Victoria to compete in the State Brass Band Championships in Ballarat, and this year on August 19th Footscray Yarraville City Band competed for the prestigious title of State Champions. With a full program of Hymn, Test Piece, March and Entertainment Item, we performed at Her Majesty’s Theatre Ballarat, a beautiful old theatre with lovely acoustics. The highlight of the contest for the audience is arguably the feet warmers in the old theatre, which keep your toes warm after being outside in the Ballarat winter. The crowd favourite item was a salsa, which saw soloists Jamie Lawson, Brenton Burley, Nicole Tweddle and Emily Furlong entertain the crowd, accompanied by the band with nifty choreography as well as playing and singing. (The back row cornets in particular had all the moves…) Up against very stiff opposition, our entertaining style and beautiful hymn playing won the day, and FYCB were absolutely thrilled to win the title of State Champions in A grade! The band is very proud of our achievement, and especially the hard work and dedication from our conductor Phillipa Edwards. A big thank you to the Victorian Bands’ League for running and organizing the contest, we look forward to defending our title next year. 
Discovery of WW1 Bass Drum
Whilst doing a clean out of the bands’ storeroom in 2013, one of our members saw through all the clutter an old, battered bass drum with a torn head. Only when inspecting more closely did we realise the significance of this drum. On the inside of the drum, we discovered faint markings of soldiers who had served overseas with the 1st AIF during World War 1. Colin Harrison, one of FYCB's tuba players, began an extensive research project to learn the stories of these men and their families.Soldiers who wrote their names on the inside of the drum include:
- No 2133 Alexander McArthur Lambert, Killed in Action on 30th August 1917 (born Wallsend, enlisted Newcastle)
- No 3833 Ossory Arthur Charles Fitzpatrick (born North Sydney, enlisted Dubbo)
- No 2123 Edward Rees Harry (born near Broken Hill, enlisted Adelaide)
- No 3715 Robert Lynch (born Glasgow, Scotland, enlisted Brisbane)
- No 3307 Edward McCarter Brown (born Hamilton, Scotland, enlisted Sydney)
The men who wrote their names in the drum were all members of pioneer battalions which were generally employed on work such as road building, trenching and gun emplacements. The mens' inscriptions in the drum also give several place names, Fovant and Sutton Veny. These inscriptions indicate the drum was used in bands in the training camps near Salisbury Plain, England, where men were trained before being sent to the front in France and Belgium.Service records show that Alexander Lambert was at these training camps between August and November 1916 when he would have written the inscription below.
Lambert was born in born Wallsend and enlisted in Newcastle in the 1st Pioneer Battalion and embarked for England on 3rd May 1916. After a period of training in Sutton Veny, England, Lambert joined his unit “in the field” on 17 November 1916. He was killed in action on 30 November 1917 near Ypres, age 25. An eye witness recorded:“...[Lambert], with others, was building eighteen pounder dugouts when the Germans started shelling; he was running for shelter in another dugout when a shell landed close beside him and wounded him so severely that he died in 10 minutes.” Lambert is buried in the Reninghelst New Military Cemetery in West Vlaanderen, Belgium.The history of our country is embedded within the story of these men and our band’s heritage, which stretches back over a hundred years. We feel a special connection to all service men and women and we are proud to honour the sacrifice made.In the lead up to ANZAC day the band is preparing to commemorate the Australian service men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their country. The band will be playing at commemoration services at both the Footscray and Yarraville RSLs as well as participating in the march to the Shrine of Remembrance on ANZAC day.As part of the commemorations the band will be marching with the WW1 bass drum. The theme for the bass drum insert design (covering the skin) this year marks the centenary of Australians lost in France in 1916 in battles at Fromelles, Pozieres, Mouquet Farm and Flers.
As part of the band’s ANZAC Centenary Commemorations Project the band is committed to the preservation and public display of this drum and the research of the history of these men.The drum will be on public display later this year at the band’s Silent ANZAC concert on 12th November at Williamstown Town Hall. For further information contact the band at anzaccentenary@fycb.com.au
FYCB Celebrates a Great Result at Nationals
The Footscray-Yarraville City Band achieved an outstanding result at the Australian National Band Championships held over Easter this year in Gawler, South Australia. Competing against eight other bands in A Grade, Footscray-Yarraville took out third place overall against some very strong competition. The contest adjudicator made a special mention to our Musical Director, Phillipa Edwards, for the outstanding level of musical expression she was able to draw from the band.
“This achievement was the result of a lot of hard work and commitment by the band members in the lead up to the Championships” said Phillipa. “It cements Footscray’s position as one of the finest brass bands in Australia. We are looking forward to bringing this high level of musicianship to all our audiences at our public performances”.
The band prepared for the competition over a 10 week period with up to three rehearsals per week including a rehearsal weekend away in Wonthaggi. The test piece, Albion by Jan van der Roost, proved a massive challenge for all involved. This year we were particularly fortunate to have our own choice piece, The Maid of Orleans, written especially for the band by Todd Smith, a young and outstanding composer who is is garnering much critical acclaim both here and overseas. The performance of “The Maid of Orleans”, the world premiere of the piece, on the Sunday of the competition was the band's highlight for the weekend. We have already received enquiries from other bands looking to acquire The Maid of Orleans! Other highlights included the hymn Peace by Kenneth Downie which rated special mention by the adjudicator, and another successful "left of field" street march paying tribute to the late David Bowie with a special rendition of Let's Dance!
A big congratulations is owed to all bands, players, organisers and volunteers that made this Easter weekend another fantastic contest. On to Launceston in 2017! Go Scraggers!
Yamaha National Band Championships 2016 Street March
Footscray-Yarraville's special tribute to the late David Bowie. A one-of-a-kind musician. This march was arranged specially for this performance by our clever cymbal player. Enjoy!
The Maid of Orlèans
Below is a recording of the world premiere of Todd Smith's latest composition "The Maid of Orlèans". This was performed live on stage at the 2016 national band Championships in Gawler, South Australia. A big thanks to Todd for writing such a wonderful and challenging piece for us, and to the team at Brassbanned for bringing us the high quality sound and vision. Enjoy!
Remembering Jenny Morrish 1984-2015
Many of our friends and family will know that not long after the Australian Nationals of 2015, our dear friend and percussionist extraordinaire, Jenny Morrish, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer and passed away 7 weeks later. We had always promised Jenny that we would one day supply her with a decent set of percussion equipment to play on. Now, in her memory and honour, we would like to raise the funds and dedicate this campaign to her.Footscray Yarraville City band has set up a crowd funding page to help raise funds to purchase a professional set of timpani and other percussion equipment that the band has desperately needed for many years. Our poor percussionists, most recently Jenny, have been forced to rehearse on substandard equipment. Despite their best attempts, even musicians of Jenny's caliber couldn't make our timpani sound decent! But, being Jenny, she approached rehearsals with good humour and perseverance!Without high quality instruments, it is difficult bordering on impossible to attract percussionists of Jenny's caliber to perform with us on a regular basis. The domino effect would be that our younger musicians would lose the mentorship of professional musicians and the opportunity to learn and perform to their potential.To pledge to our campaign, head to:http://www.pozible.com/project/202209We appreciate every dollar that brings us closer to our goal. Thank You!
Guest Artists Announced for The Silent ANZAC
We are very excited to announce a stellar line up of special guests that will join us in commemorating and reflecting on the centenary of ANZAC.Please see the event details to learn more about the concert and to book FREE tickets. Bookings are essential, and are running out fast.
Nicholas Coghlan, The Poet
Nicholas Coghlan graduated from NIDA with a BDA, Acting, in 2002.He has worked extensively as an actor in film and television both in Australia and internationally, with leading roles in productions including, The Secret Life Of Us (Network Ten), and Orange Roughies (N.Z.1). He has appeared in award winning television productions such as, Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War (Nine Network/Southern Star), House Husbands (Playmaker Media) and Nowhere Boys (Matchbox/ABC3), and in films including, Star Wars III. Nicholas has also apeared on stage in various roles at the Melbourne Theatre Comanpy, Belvoir Street, Red Stitch Actors’ Theatre, and La Mama.Nicholas is a writer, director, cinematographer and producer and creates film and live performance works with his company, The Public Studio.
Ezekiel Ox, The Soldier
Ezekiel Ox is one of Australia’s most prolific and outspoken career multidisciplinary artists. He is an Australian entertainer, singer/songwriter, film maker, actor and political activist. He is currently the singer for The Nerve and Over-Reactor and in the past, has been the frontman for Full Scale Deflection, Smash Nova (with Forrester Savell and Eddie Perfect) and of course, Mammal. He was a founding member of the committee for Musicians Against Police Violence (MAPV) in Melbourne. He runs "Fish and Chip Studios", a mobile production house that focuses on limited post production and strong artistic performances. He also performs spoken word shows and has authored one self-published book "The Pub".
Maggie Haggart, The Mother
Margaret Haggart studied with Antonio Moretti-Pananti, gaining amateur performance experience with Victorian Opera Co., which became Victoria State Opera.In 1972 her professional career began in UK, with Welsh National Opera, singing Queen of Night & Gilda (Rigoletto). Principal roles followed with ENO, Scottish Op., Opera North, English Music Theatre, R.Albert Hall Prom Concerts & BBC Radio & TV. She performed with Nancy Opera & the Orange Festival in France, and Santiago Opera in Chile.Home in Melbourne from 1984, she appeared with VSO, all State Companies, Opera Australia, most major Festivals, most Symphony Orchestras, and ABC simulcasts locally, and worked in NZ., Italy, Singapore & USA.
Alinta Chidzey, The Girl
Alinta Chidzey won a scholarship to attend the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School, from where she graduated in 2001. She has since trained at The Howard Fine Academy and 16th Street Actors’ StudioAlinta’s screen credits include Winners & Losers, the U.S. Telemovie The Frontier for Sony, the ABC series The Dr Blake Mysteries and Neighbours for Fremantle.Alinta has become a fixture on The Production Company stage, playing Magnolia in Show Boat, Kathy Selden in Singin’ In the Rain and Svetlana in Chess. For Chess Alinta was honoured with a Green Room Award for Best Female Artist in a Supporting Role. Alinta played sassy Anita in West Side Story, for which she received nominations for a Helpmann Award, Green Room Award, Sydney Theatre Award, two GLUGS Award nominations and won the Australian Dance Award for Most Outstanding Performance.
Vita Destructa - Todd Smith live performance
Footscray-Yarraville City Band performing Vita Destructa at the 2015 National Band Championships in Sydney. The band has since commissioned Todd Smith to write a large scale work to be performed at an ANZAC commemorative concert in November, 2015.
MISF 2015
Photos from our Best of British concert with Jonathon Welch and a 500 strong massed choir! A concert tying with the Melbourne International Singers Festival featuring John Rutter's major work, "Gloria". There was a singing soprano cornet solo from Tristan Rebein, and Luscious cornet solo from Jamie Lawson! Photos courtesy of Matthew Jones, School of Hard Knocks.[envira-gallery id="504"]
Absolutely Everybody Loves the Movies
We were delighted to perform once again with Dr Jonathon Welch AM, and all the wonderful people in THECHO!R, as the School of Hard Knocks presented 'Absolutely Everybody Loves the Movies'.