More than 800 of Queensland’s finest young musicians are attending the fifteenth annual prestigious State Honours Ensemble Program (SHEP) QLD 2015 being held the at the Queensland Conservatorium during the school holidays.
Participants were selected from 1900 students across 150 state, private and distance education schools and have traveled from all over Queensland to represent their schools and work alongside renowned international and national conductors.
SHEP showcases the best of Queensland’s up and coming musicians, featuring four wind orchestras, two string orchestras, a celtic string ensemble, four vocal ensembles and for the first time a symphony orchestra and big band.
Students will be put to the test over four days of intensive rehearsals culminating in five Grand Finale concerts on Sunday October 4 in the Conservatorium Theatre which will be open to the public.
Director Queensland Conservatorium, Professor Scott Harrison, said the program has grown exponentially over the years.
“For us at Queensland Conservatorium it is a delight to welcome hundreds of emerging musicians to our state of the art facilities at South Bank. From relatively modest beginnings SHEP Queensland now includes over 870 participants, with an additional 900 students participating in similar programs in regional Queensland”
“This is our largest ever cohort with many more nominations being received from schools than we were able to accommodate. SHEP is now a firmly established aspect of music education in Queensland, bringing together people young people from throughout the State to share their passion for music making with their peers.”
A reciprocal exchange program between Seattle and Brisbane will also see fifteen Queensland students from across the state pack their bags for Seattle in November to attend the Western International Band Clinic as part of the Pacific Honours Ensemble Program (PHEP). Twelve American college students have been selected to represent PHEP and will get the opportunity to experience Queensland during SHEP at South Bank.
Five Grand Finale Concerts will be held on Sunday 4th October at 10am, 12noon, 2pm, 4pm and 7pm. Contact Lisa – [email protected] or phone 3735 6375 for details.