More than a thousand young musicians will gather at the Queensland Conservatorium this weekend for the biggest StateHonoursEnsemble Program (SHEP) in history.
High school students from the Border to the Cape and as far west as Mt Isa will travel to Brisbane for four days of intensive rehearsals, tutorials and concerts.
More than 100students from around the countryhavealso been selected to participate in the AustralianHonoursEnsemble Program andagroup ofAmerican college students will represent the prestigious PacificHonoursEnsemble Program (PHEP).
Leading music educators from around the world will oversee the ensembles, from a big band and symphony orchestra to Celtic string ensemble and choirs.
On Sunday, more than 4000 people are expected to visit the Conservatorium South Bank campus for sixgrand finale concerts.
Acting Director of the Queensland Conservatorium Professor Gemma Carey said the program had grown from modest beginnings to a record 1000 students attending this year.
“This is our largest ever cohort with many more nominations received from schools than we were able to accommodate,” she said.
“It is a delight to welcome these emerging musicians to our state-of-the-art facilities at South Bank.”
Open Conservatorium ManagerMrJason Budge said SHEP provided a pathway for aspiring musicians. 
“SHEP is now a firmly established aspect of music education in Queensland, bringing together young people from across the state to share their passion for music.”
This weekend’s event is one of a dozen SHEP programs held throughout Queensland each year for primary, middle and high school students.