The Silent ANZAC European Tour Fundraising Launch
The Footscray-Yarraville City Band - with the assistance and support of Victorian High Commissioner, Ken Ryan AM and James Hancock of the Tait Foundation - will be travelling to Europe in November to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice.
With this in mind, today we launch the band's fundraising appeal. This is an opportunity for our family, friends and the greater Australian and New Zealand community to be involved in this once in a lifetime event.
Performances of our critically acclaimed show, The Silent ANZAC will be the cornerstone of the tour with performances at Amiens Cathedral, Australia House, and Southwark Cathedral. The Silent ANZAC intertwines tells the story of the Australian submarine, The AE2 with other stories of love and loss from The Great War.
We will also be performing at the ‘Last Post Ceremony’ at Menin Gate which will be live-streamed back to Australia.
A wreath laying ceremony will be held at the Australian National Memorial in Villers-Bretonneux. The band will play Abide with Me and The Last Post whilst wreaths are laid. If you, your family or workplace wish to have a wreath laid on your behalf please contact Lorraine Wright, our Fundraising Coordinator, on 9578 3113 or 0415 138 148. This ceremony will be live-streamed back to Australia and posted to the internet for later viewing.
Our new CD, The Endless Silence, tells The Silent ANZAC story, featuring William McInnes as the Poet, Margaret Haggart as the Mother, Danielle Matthews as the Girl, Joe Stanley as the Soldier and Jamie Lawson as the Bandsman. It is available through our website for $20 plus $5 p/h.
Next week will see our Crowdfunding kick off with a campaign to pay for our WWI bass drum and four soloists to travel to Europe for the tour.
Tax deductible donations toward the band can be made through the VBL ROCO account (put "Footscray Yarraville City Band" in the recipient's description):
Account Name: Victorian Bands League Inc Public Account
BSB: 013-481
Account Number: 2527-64584
Smaller donations can be made by clicking the donate button at the bottom of the page.
You can also support the band by attending our show The Silent ANZAC.
It's such a fantastic time to be a part of this wonderful band and we really hope you'll join us on this once in a century opportunity.
The Silent Anzac to be performed at Exhibition Hall, Australia House, London
We are currently arranging with officials in London to put on a performance of The Silent Anzac at Australia House on Remembrance Day, 11/11/18. This performance will take place in the famous Exhibition Hall which was used for the set of the Gringotts Bank in the Harry Potter movies. The 160 foot hall is decorated with 1200 tons of intricately patterned Australia Marble. Mr Ken Ryan AM, Agent-General for Victoria to the UK, is supporting the band in this endeavour and we are also receiving assistance from Ms Claire Thomas, Business Manager for Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, Victorian State Government, in making arrangements for the concert. It is fantastic that the Silent Anzac tour is receiving this kind of support and we would like to acknowledge and thank these people.
Lions Club Project Partners
We are pleased to announce that the Lions Club has come on board as Silent Anzac project partners with a generous donation of $2,000. Many thanks to the Lions Club and also to our Fundraising Coordinator Lorraine Wright whose diligent work is paying dividends for the project. Our fundraising goal of $50k is achievable with the support of everyone. Be sure to get involved. A new social media fundraising campaign is set to be announced soon so get ready to spread the word.
Become a part of The Silent ANZAC Project
Footscray-Yarraville City Band is looking for enthusiastic friends of the band to be involved this important project. We are looking for assistance in all areas such as:• Publicity and marketing• Sponsorship• Fundraising• Project management• Administration• Graphic design• Logistics• Social media management• Tour management• Business Development• Sales• Client Relationship Management• International Relations• Travel arrangements, visa requirementsYou don’t have to be an expert in any of these areas, just have an interest and willingness to get involved. No one will be refused and time commitment is up to you. Indicate your interest by emailing contact@fycb.com.au with your area of interest and any specific skills you think may be relevant.
The Silent ANZAC production a huge success at Box Hill Town Hall
For the third time, The Silent ANZAC production was performed by Footscray-Yarraville City Band at the Box Hill Town Hall on Saturday 28th April. A near capacity audience experienced the untold stories of war told through music and poetry. The concert was hailed a great success, with the evening concluding with a rapturous standing ovation.A special thanks to our guest artists William McInnes, Margaret Haggart, Danielle Matthews and Joe Stanley as well as our Musical Director Phillipa Edwards. Also a special mention to our Principal Cornet Jamie Lawson whose superb solo playing put the icing on the cake. Special guests in attendance at the show were Cr Andrew Davenport (Mayor of Whitehorse), Cr Prue Cutts, Lyn Thurnham of the Catfish Foundation, Simon Abney-Hastings (Earl of Loudoun) and Graham Gibson, Secretary Rats of Tobruk Association.Footscray-Yarraville City Band is working with various organisations to put on the show again in Melbourne before taking it to Europe in early November.
Catfish Foundation Sponsors “The Silent Anzac” Project
We are pleased to announce that the Catfish Foundation has come on board as a sponsor of The Silent Anzac Project. The Catfish Foundation was created to celebrate and support storytelling and creative endeavour. Lyn Thurnham of the Catfish Foundation flew down from Sydney to attend The Silent Anzac show at the Box Hill Town Hall last Saturday night. “I was extremely impressed with the show and I am pleased that we are able to support the project” said Lyn. Colin Harrison, Project Manager, said “We are delighted to welcome the Catfish Foundation on board as a major sponsor and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship”.The Catfish Foundation joins our other project sponsors, The Pratt Foundation and Geoffrey Haggard (son of Lieutenant Commander Geoffrey Haggard , 2nd in command of the AE2).If you or an organisation you are a part of are interested in sponsoring this important project, please get in touch with us.
William McInnes to star in local production of The Silent ANZAC
William McInnes, well known for his film and TV roles in shows such as Blue Heelers, Sea Change and The Time of our Lives, will be starring in a production of “The Silent Anzac” at the Box Hill Town Hall on Saturday 28th April 2018 at 8pm.Also starring Margaret Haggart (Opera Australia, Scottish Opera) and Danielle Mathews (An Evening with Stephen Sondheim), the show depicts the events of WW1 from the opening of the Gallipoli campaign to the closing months of the war.
Nationals 2018
The 2018 Easter long weekend saw Melbourne host the Australian National Band Championships with 78 competing bands and over 3,400 players. The event was held at several venues with exceptional performance facilities and concert halls including the Methodist Ladies College and Xavier College in Kew. The competition was a fantastic event and our congratulations and thanks go to the Victorian Bands League and in particular, Megan Stapleton (VBL President and event organiser) and her dedicated group of volunteers who made the event a real joy.
The format of the competition includes the stage performance of a set test work and an own choice hymn on Friday, a street march event on Saturday and the performance of an own choice major work and a stage march played on Sunday. The championships for the Open section brass bands are divided into 4 graded sections with bands competing within the appropriate section for their abilities.
This year the Footscray-Yarraville City Band competed with two band ensembles including Western Brass (Musical Director Erin Ellenburg) in the Open C grade section and the Footscray-Yarraville City Band (Musical Director Phillipa Edwards) in the Open A Grade section.
Western Brass had a great weekend in their first ever Nationals campaign and placed 3rd overall in a very strong section of twelve competing bands.
Footscray-Yarraville City Band have had great results at the last two National Championship with a 3rd place overall in the 2016 competition in Adelaide and a 2nd place last year in Launceston. The 2018 Nationals saw a field of 15 A-Grade bands including bands from New Zealand and South Korea. While our band did not achieve a podium place in this year’s stage event we did place first for the music category on the street march event and an overall 3rd for the street march section. Special thanks to Steve Semmler-Farr for a terrific arrangement of Michael Jackson’s ‘Don’t Stop til you get enough!’ for our music selection on the march!
Hyde Street Youth Band (Musical Director Jeroen Bentcourt), and Hyde Street Youth Band Junior Band (Musical Director Phillipa Edwards) also had a very successful weekend, with the Junior Band placing 3rd in the Junior C Grade Section. HSYB had an incredibly busy weekend, competing in both the Open D Grade (7th place), and winning the Junior B Grade!
The National Championships are a very important part of the band’s primary goals of Musical and Performance Excellence, and also encouraging young people to become involved in music with the positive effect it has on them and our community. Footscray-Yarraville City Band has a strong development program and is also actively involved in mentoring and providing support for Western Brass and Hyde Street Youth Band, and we had a number of junior players involved in solo and ensemble sections of the competition.
The Footscray-Yarraville City Band, together with our second band Western Brass and the Hyde Street Youth Band have established a strong community banding precinct in Footscray that ensures that our shared bandroom facility is well utilised and provides vital arts and cultural opportunities for new players and the wider community. We are also very excited about the opportunities that the recently launched Footscray-Yarraville City Percussion Academy will provide to young people in the Western Suburbs and are very grateful for the leadership and commitment of Katie Thomas as the principal tutor. We look forward to seeing her students involved in future National Band Championships!
We are very grateful for the continued support of the Maribyrnong City Council and we proudly represent our vibrant community when we perform at these National competitions.
It is a real joy to share the stage with an amazing group of people and play music together. Its all about mateship, supporting each other and doing the best you can. The reward is being able to play music, connect with the audience and leaving something special.
Photo credit: Jacqui Schulz[envira-gallery id="933"]
2018 Rehearsal Camp
In early March FYCB returned to Wonthaggi for our annual rehearsal weekend as part of our Nationals preparation for 2018. (Thanks again Wonthaggi for the use of your wonderful band room!)There are two major components of this weekend for most of us, playing awesome music with a great group of people, and the all important beach time on Saturday afternoon. Nothing clears the head quite like diving into the beautiful Cape Paterson rock pool of too cold water and giggling with fellow bandies. We managed to coerce 8 people into the rock pool this year, which is up nearly 50% on last years effort!In 2019 let's try for half of the band - get ready, bring your togs, try not to freeze and love the hot shower afterwards! Enjoy some photos of our players in action during the weekend. 
FYCB Silent Anzac Tour
FYCB are thrilled to announce that we are heading overseas with our Silent Anzac Show!! For the first time since 1975, we will be heading to foreign shores – with performances and workshops planned for France, Belgium and the UK. We were thrilled to hold the launch of our Silent Anzac Tour last Thursday at the Maribyrnong Council Buildings. Special guests included the Mayor and Councillors of Maribyrnong, local business owners including Dimmeys, representatives from the Myer and Pratt Foundations, and other band and community supporters. We’ll be launching a special website very soon to share tour updates and information in the lead up to our November departure. We will also be holding a number of fundraising events with the first, a major fundraising performance at the Box Hill Town Hall on April 28th. Stay tuned for more details, and get your cheque books ready as we will soon be able to accept tax deductible donations to help get us to Europe! Many thanks to the following for a successful launch last Thursday: Maribyrnong Council, David Palmer, Margaret Brett, Lorraine Wright and John Hoppe, and finally our amazing band Secretary Colin Harrison, and MD Phillipa Edwards. Also huge thanks to the amazing performances from Danielle Matthews and Jamie Lawson. Here are some happy snaps from the evening, photo credit: Kevin Bergin 
