TAMBORINE Mountain Orchestra (TMO) is getting ready for a huge fifty-second year and is eager to encourage new members to come and join them.
Having begun with only three members, their Christmas concert last year saw the Tamborine Mountain State High School stage filled with 48 incredible players.
“We have some great plans for the year,” TMO president Sanne Kreijkamp-Kaspers said, including collaborating for a second year with the Southern Cross Soloists under renowned director Tim Munro.
In 2021 they received a grant to collaborate with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra.
“This really made people know we existed,” Sanne said.
“We were sold out.
“It had a lot of public attention and really put us on the map.”
It also led to a number of professional musicians joining the orchestra, who have remained, and encouraged their students to come along.
One of the renowned members is former first violin player from the Queensland Symphony Orchestra Brynley White.
“He has really lifted our string section,” Sanne said. “We have gone from three string players to 15.
“It lifts the orchestra and makes it more attractive to play. It makes a huge difference if you have a buddy playing the same part.”
Another key addition to the orchestra was Andrew Heading-Knight, a professional brass player, teacher, composer and arranger who has written a lot of music for the orchestra and taught a lot of members.
Andrew plays every instrument from saxophone to trombone to trumpet and arranges music to suit the orchestra.
One of their four concerts for the year they hope will include a collaboration with the famous local didgeridoo player, Russell Smith in June, playing a piece by the Australian composer Sean O’Boyle.
“Russell joined us at our collaboration with the Southern Cross Soloists last year,” Sanne said.
Their first concert, on March 29, has the theme around the world, featuring music from all the continents.
This year’s Christmas concert is set to be huge with the Ignite Choir from Brisbane joining them on December 6.
“That is going to be really cool,” Sanne said.
The orchestra meet weekly on a Wednesday night to practice during school term and are keen to encourage other local musicians to come along and join them.
Tamborine Mountain Orchestra can be contacted by Facebook or their website www.tmo.org.au.
