Current Player Information
Hello and welcome to The Grainger Wind Symphony. We hope that you enjoy performing and working with us, and that you acquire many a memorable musical experience in the time you play with us.
The Grainger Wind Symphony is a Melbourne-based group of musicians who share a passion for creating quality wind-band music. It performs around eight concerts a year in a variety of venues around Melbourne and Victoria.
The Grainger Wind Symphony was established to not only represent and perform wind ensemble music of the highest calibre, but also to celebrate the name of Percy Grainger, one of Australia's foremost performing musicians and composers. It brings Grainger's name and music to greater recognition by the Australian public, and to the listener, the enjoyment of wind ensemble music generally.
The Grainger Wind Symphony also promotes wind music by running concerts with young players and community music groups, workshops for conductors and seminars for music educators.
People you should know about
The Music Director
Our Music Director and regular conductor is Roland Yeung, an extremely competent, musical, and experienced musical director. He is always willing to answer any questions you may have, or converse with you about current repertoire, or anything else. See the left menu bar for more information about Roland.
The Personnel Manager
The Personnel Manager's job is to coordinate our team of section managers to make personal contact with players, ensure the player list for each concert is full, and to maintain a list of current and prospective players. If you know anyone who is interested in playing with GWS, please let them know. They will also gladly answer any questions you may have about rehearsal dates/times, concert venue or just anything general about the band. If you cannot get in touch with your Section Manager, feel free to ring or email the Personnel Manager.
Your Section Manager
Your Section Manager is the first person to talk to if you have any questions about the ensemble. If you need to miss a rehearsal you should let your Section Manager or the Personnel Manager, and if they are not contactable, please contact the conductor as a last resort. Please do this immediately, because a dep will need to be arranged in your place.
Please keep in contact with your section manager and talk about any special things you would like to contribute to the group or any difficulties you encounter. Alternatively talk to the Personnel Manager, the GWS Chairperson or the Music Director. The phone numbers of the Section Managers are listed below.
When looking for players for upcoming concerts, Section Managers will first contact full members. If these players are unavailable, the best available players will be invited to play at the discretion of the Section Manager, Personnel Manager and Music Director.
If you would like to be a financial member, please discuss this with your Section Manager, who can put forward your nomination to the committee.
General information
Rehearsals
These are held on Wednesdays from 7.30pm for a 8pm start to 10pm (no break) at Blackburn High School (Melway 47/K7). We rehearse in the Charlton Music Centre, which has a carpark next to it, entering off Williams Road, Blackburn. Please arrive at 7.30pm to help set up, catch up with players news and warm up your instrument.
Concerts
The Grainger Wind Symphony performs approximately seven concerts per year. We have about five rehearsals before each concert. There are a few occasions when rehearsals are held at other venues, and you will be advised in advance if that has to happen. Included in the Rehearsal Schedule is also a soundcheck on the day of the concert; it is important that you attend this to get used to the different acoustic. GWS aspire to a professional level of repertoire and performance. For this reason it is expected that all players will observe professional rehearsal etiquette, particularly in view of the short rehearsal programme.
Concert Formal Dress:
MEN - Black dinner suit with white dress front shirt, wing collar, and black bow tie, black socks and dress shoes.
WOMEN - Black “after five” attire.
Concert Informal Dress:
EVERYONE - Smart all-black clothing.
Equipment and venue setting up
We always need help loading and unloading the vehicles, setting up the venue of a concert and putting things back into place as we found it. All members are expected to give their time helping with this at most concerts.
Sheet Music
Player Subscription Fees
The Grainger Wind Symphony charges its players a subscription fee to help the band cover costs such as rehearsal venue (expensive), caretaker fee, hire of percussion equipment, concert costs, etc. If you are a new player your first concert is free to try to get you hooked. Please fill in an Application for Membership Form. When accepted, new player is an Associate Member with no subscription fee.
After your first concert, there are two types of subscription fees if accepted as a Full member fee, or Concert member fee for the Calendar year, both with Concessions.
Your fees should be paid on line via our website or to our Assistant Treasurer at any of the rehearsals or the concert. O request you can be issued an official Tax Invoice, which you may be able to claim as a tax deduction if you are professionally involved in music. Please speak to the Assistant Treasurer or the Personnel Manager if you have any queries about the subscriptions system.
You should keep your player information up to date as this data is crucial in keeping you in contact with us for any last minute changes. This can be done by yourself using the Grainger CRM online web browser application.
If you feel you could help the GWS organisation in other ways, have a chat to one of the committee members. As a not-for-profit organisation, we need members to add value to the organisation for it to continue to develop.
Lastly, enjoy the music, enjoy the experience.
The Grainger Wind Symphony is a Melbourne-based group of musicians who share a passion for creating quality wind-band music. It performs around eight concerts a year in a variety of venues around Melbourne and Victoria.
The Grainger Wind Symphony was established to not only represent and perform wind ensemble music of the highest calibre, but also to celebrate the name of Percy Grainger, one of Australia's foremost performing musicians and composers. It brings Grainger's name and music to greater recognition by the Australian public, and to the listener, the enjoyment of wind ensemble music generally.
The Grainger Wind Symphony also promotes wind music by running concerts with young players and community music groups, workshops for conductors and seminars for music educators.
People you should know about
The Music Director
Our Music Director and regular conductor is Roland Yeung, an extremely competent, musical, and experienced musical director. He is always willing to answer any questions you may have, or converse with you about current repertoire, or anything else. See the left menu bar for more information about Roland.
The Personnel Manager
The Personnel Manager's job is to coordinate our team of section managers to make personal contact with players, ensure the player list for each concert is full, and to maintain a list of current and prospective players. If you know anyone who is interested in playing with GWS, please let them know. They will also gladly answer any questions you may have about rehearsal dates/times, concert venue or just anything general about the band. If you cannot get in touch with your Section Manager, feel free to ring or email the Personnel Manager.
Your Section Manager
Your Section Manager is the first person to talk to if you have any questions about the ensemble. If you need to miss a rehearsal you should let your Section Manager or the Personnel Manager, and if they are not contactable, please contact the conductor as a last resort. Please do this immediately, because a dep will need to be arranged in your place.
Please keep in contact with your section manager and talk about any special things you would like to contribute to the group or any difficulties you encounter. Alternatively talk to the Personnel Manager, the GWS Chairperson or the Music Director. The phone numbers of the Section Managers are listed below.
When looking for players for upcoming concerts, Section Managers will first contact full members. If these players are unavailable, the best available players will be invited to play at the discretion of the Section Manager, Personnel Manager and Music Director.
If you would like to be a financial member, please discuss this with your Section Manager, who can put forward your nomination to the committee.
General information
Rehearsals
These are held on Wednesdays from 7.30pm for a 8pm start to 10pm (no break) at Blackburn High School (Melway 47/K7). We rehearse in the Charlton Music Centre, which has a carpark next to it, entering off Williams Road, Blackburn. Please arrive at 7.30pm to help set up, catch up with players news and warm up your instrument.
Concerts
The Grainger Wind Symphony performs approximately seven concerts per year. We have about five rehearsals before each concert. There are a few occasions when rehearsals are held at other venues, and you will be advised in advance if that has to happen. Included in the Rehearsal Schedule is also a soundcheck on the day of the concert; it is important that you attend this to get used to the different acoustic. GWS aspire to a professional level of repertoire and performance. For this reason it is expected that all players will observe professional rehearsal etiquette, particularly in view of the short rehearsal programme.
Concert Formal Dress:
MEN - Black dinner suit with white dress front shirt, wing collar, and black bow tie, black socks and dress shoes.
WOMEN - Black “after five” attire.
Concert Informal Dress:
EVERYONE - Smart all-black clothing.
Equipment and venue setting up
We always need help loading and unloading the vehicles, setting up the venue of a concert and putting things back into place as we found it. All members are expected to give their time helping with this at most concerts.
Sheet Music
- You may borrow sheet music to photocopy or practise at home. Please leave the folder behind, in case the librarian needs to add more music.
- DO NOT borrow music if you know that you will be absent from the next rehearsal - someone else may need it! If you are unable to attend a rehearsal due to unexpected illness please try to get the sheet music to the rehearsal.
- All original parts should be back in the folders at the end of the concert and cleaned of your personal pencil markings.
- When closing the music folder, please ensure sheet music is tucked into the pocket so they do not fall out or get unduly creased.
- When returning the folder to the red crate at the end of rehearsal, please put the folder(s) in number order.
Player Subscription Fees
The Grainger Wind Symphony charges its players a subscription fee to help the band cover costs such as rehearsal venue (expensive), caretaker fee, hire of percussion equipment, concert costs, etc. If you are a new player your first concert is free to try to get you hooked. Please fill in an Application for Membership Form. When accepted, new player is an Associate Member with no subscription fee.
After your first concert, there are two types of subscription fees if accepted as a Full member fee, or Concert member fee for the Calendar year, both with Concessions.
Your fees should be paid on line via our website or to our Assistant Treasurer at any of the rehearsals or the concert. O request you can be issued an official Tax Invoice, which you may be able to claim as a tax deduction if you are professionally involved in music. Please speak to the Assistant Treasurer or the Personnel Manager if you have any queries about the subscriptions system.
You should keep your player information up to date as this data is crucial in keeping you in contact with us for any last minute changes. This can be done by yourself using the Grainger CRM online web browser application.
If you feel you could help the GWS organisation in other ways, have a chat to one of the committee members. As a not-for-profit organisation, we need members to add value to the organisation for it to continue to develop.
Lastly, enjoy the music, enjoy the experience.