WAYJO presents Final 2022 Show at Quarry Amphitheatre, 25 November

In a grand finale to their 2022 season, WA Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) presents three big bands in one glorious night under the stars in The Best of 2022 at Quarry Amphitheatre, Friday 25 November.

“The band members have put in their votes for their favourite music that they have played throughout 2022” says WAYJO’s Artistic Director Dr Mace Francis. “They have selected some music from each concert and project including two new pieces commissioned as part of the Composer in Residence program.”

“The Wednesday Night Orchestra’s set will take you through music from the great swingin’ big band era of the 1940 to music composed in July this year!”

With three big bands on stage for one night only, tickets represent exceptional value for a fantastic show of diverse jazz to suit everyone’s taste.

WAYJO’s MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra toured Margaret River and Bunbury in August. “The MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra will be selecting repertoire from their shows, featuring the music of Gemma Farrell, Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Mingus. Get ready for an explosive set of big band music from the ever youthful MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra!” – MNO Musical Director Ricki Malet.

The St John of God Health Care Tuesday Night Orchestra also toured the great Southern September, and present “… everything from Count Basie to Tito Puente and a whole gamut of swinging big-band jazz and funk in between. We always look forward to entertaining you with this performance as the culmination of a year’s worth of work and rehearsals. You might pay for the whole seat, but you will only need the edge!” – TNO Musical Director Marty Pervan.

The Quarry Amphitheatre is one of Perth’s premier outdoor performance venues. Nestled in the tranquil bush setting of Bold Park Reserve, it offers a stunning skyline view. Bring a picnic, choose from the Limestone Cafe menu on the night, or pre-order picnic hampers, and enjoy a jazz picnic under the stars with friends and family.

These bands have never sounded better after a year of working and touring together. A sell out several years in a row, be sure to book early for The Best of WAYJO 2022.

Stay tuned to wayjo.com as WAYJO prepares to celebrate their 40th anniversary in 2023.

The Best of WAYJO 2022
MinterEllison Monday, St John of God Health Care Tuesday, & WAYJO Wednesday Night Orchestras
Fri 25 November, 7.30pm
Quarry Amphitheatre, City Beach
Tickets wayjo.com

 

WAYJO thanks Government Partner the Department of Local Government, Sport, and Cultural Industries, Principal Partner North West Shelf Gas, Major Programs Partner Minderoo Foundation, MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra Naming Rights Partner, St John of God Health Care Tuesday Night Orchestra Naming Rights Partner, and Healthway Act Belong Commit for their continued support.

Photographs of 2021 WAYJO Quarry show by Josh Wells.

Best of WAYJO 2022 Poster

2022 WAYJO Pathways Education and Composer in Residence Programs Open

WA Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) returns for 2022 with four fantastic opportunities for young West Australian musicians.

WAYJO’s Act Belong Commit Pathways Program offers a chance to explore jazz music, or learn more about auditioning for the band. Three audition-free, inclusive workshops for aspiring young musicians are now open for registrations;

  • WAYJO Northern Corridor (NC) is a training orchestra for high school students wishing to extend themselves through learning how to read and play various styles of music. It is held Tuesday evenings at St Stephens in Duncraig with a performance in their theatre in September. Registrations for Semester One close Monday 7 February, 9.00am.
  • WAYJO Club is an exciting opportunity for aspiring instrumentalists and vocalists, aged 12-18 years, to learn about and participate in jazz music making with WAYJO in a social and inclusive setting. WAYJO Club is open to all young musicians with a basic understanding of music. It runs semester one and two, with a discount offered for participation both semesters. Registrations close Tuesday 22 February, 5.00pm.
  • Young Women in Jazz is an 8-week workshop program open to female identifying instrumentalists aged 14-25 who have an interest in exploring jazz and improvised music in a like-minded, judgement-free space. Registrations close Monday 11 April, 5.00pm.

WAYJO’s Pathways Education Program is supported by Healthway promoting the Act Belong Commit message, and our Major Partner Minderoo Foundation. Head to wayjo.com/education for more information and registration details.

WAYJO's Composer in Residence Program is also open for applications, supporting two emerging composers to develop new works for a large jazz ensemble with generous commission fees, artistic mentorship, and professional recordings of the new works. Applications for both positions close Tuesday 1 March, 5.00pm;

  • Composer in Residence is open to any composer aged 30 years or younger (as at 1st January 2022), residing in Australia, offering $2,000 for two original big band works.
  • Associate Composer in Residence is open to any jazz composer aged 21 years or younger (as at 1st January 2022), residing in Western Australia, offering $1,200 for two original big band works.

Head to wayjo.com/get-involved/composer-in-residence for more information and to apply.

With so many opportunities on offer for young musicians, WAYJO's 2022 season promises to offer something for both jazz aficionados and those new to the genre. Stay tuned to wayjo.com for more details soon, as the season program launches Sunday 20 March at Lyric Lane in Maylands.

 

WAYJO thanks continuing Government Partner, the Department of Local Government, Sport, and Cultural Industries, Lotterywest, Principal Partner North West Shelf Gas, Major Programs Partner Minderoo Foundation, MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra Naming Rights Partner, St John of God Healthcare Tuesday Night Orchestra Naming Rights Partner, and Healthway Act Belong Commit.

 

Photograph by Adrian Hicks.


Reece Clark (left) & Brendan Keller-Tuberg (right)

2021 WAYJO Composer Commissions Premiere in October

Now in its 14th year, the WA Youth Jazz Orchestra’s Composer in Residence program has annually supported two emerging composers to develop new works for a large jazz ensemble, offering both generous commission fees and artistic mentorship.

Exciting new ensemble works by Brendan Keller-Tuberg and Reece Clark premiere 22 October at The Modern Masters, a night of both contemporary and commissioned jazz, performed by WAYJO’s seasoned Wednesday Night Orchestra along with special guest (WAAPA Associate Dean of Music and WAYJO alumni) Dr Jamie Oehlers.

“When I was 14, WAYJO was the organisation that really focussed my attention on music and inspired me to become a professional musician” says Jamie. “I have so many great memories of my time in WAYJO – from the weekly rehearsals with people who became my lifelong friends, to the yearly Leeuwin Estate concerts and the tour to Wangaratta Jazz Festival, which introduced me to the wider Australian jazz community. Having the opportunity to perform with the great young musicians in the band now, and hopefully help to inspire some to develop careers playing this music that we love, is the most enjoyable aspect of this collaboration, for sure!”

Brendan Keller-Tuberg is a 26-year-old award winning artist in the ACT, who spent 6-months on exchange at the Jacobs School of Music in Indiana, USA studying performance in jazz bass during 2017. “Audiences are going to hear… big band compositions which were written between May-August 2021” States Brendan. “This particular time in my life was a very climactic one – having rushed home to Canberra to wait out the pandemic in March 2020, these months were spent preparing to return to America to begin doctoral study at the Jacobs School of Music. The three pieces (written) are all contrasting in their tone and atmosphere, and are roughly inspired by different aspects of this impending move to America….”

“I feel so privileged and excited to have received the opportunity to compose for WAYJO – the opportunities to compose for such a large instrumentation and to have your works performed are extremely rare! As a high-level big band for young musicians in Australia, WAYJO is so important and brings so much to the Australian jazz landscape… Getting to write music without any creative limitation has been a true joy…. to also take bold creative risks where appropriate and applicable! And I’m so excited to hear the results.”

Reece Clark, a 24-year-old multi-instrumentalists and composer, is from WA and also WAYJO & WAAPA alumni. “This upcoming commission has been an interesting step in my development as a composer over the past few months. I had an overarching idea to create something influenced by the interaction between water and light which developed into the Storm Suite, a suite of pieces detailing three interactions with a gradually developed level of intensity….”

“It has been a thoroughly enriching process for me to cultivate each of these pieces both in isolation and within the context of the Storm Suite, with each showcasing a different style and form of writing through the framework of the big band.”

For more information about WAYJO’s annual composer in residence program and commissioning, please visit wayjo.com/composer-in-residence – or visit wayjo.com for more about the orchestra and ticketing links.

Jamie appears thanks to WAYJO’s 2021 Major Programs Partner, Minderoo Foundation.

WAYJO presents The Modern Masters
WNO with special guest Dr Jamie Oehlers
Fri 22 Oct, 7.30pm
Lyric’s Underground, Maylands | Tickets wayjo.com

WAYJO presents The Modern Masters - 22 Oct Lyric's Underground, Maylands

Kate Pass Kohesia Ensemble

Let WAYJO Take You on a Sonic Persian Carpet Ride in July

The WA Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) hits The Rechabite Hall, Saturday 10th July, with exciting newly commissioned works featuring special guests Kate Pass & the Kohesia Ensemble.

Blending jazz & Persian musical influences, Kate Pass has created something new, refreshing & very exciting. Kohesia Ensemble bring elements of the Persian Dastgah musical system in a special night of cross-cultural collaboration & freshly commissioned work simply not to be missed.

Kate Pass – Kohesia & the Far East Suite will explore non-western time structures and microtonal melodies, combining the sounds of Persian flute (ney), percussion (daf), lute (saz) and oud with 18-piece jazz orchestra for a truly unique experience.

WAYJO are proud to have commissioned Kate (WAYJO member 2009/10 & 2014), to now expand her ideas for big band with the Wednesday Night Orchestra (WNO).

I’m really excited to collaborate with Wednesday Night orchestra on this project” says Kate. “Being an alumni WAYJO band member myself, it’s truly an honour to be commissioned to write for the band.

The program will feature several members of Kohesia Ensemble, including Esfandiar Shahmir on ney, Reza Mirzaei on saz, and Mike Zolker on oud.

I think this is the first time this combination of instruments has been joined by a big band, so it’s an incredible opportunity to create something new and unique. It’s also an opportunity for the members of Kohesia ensemble and myself to explore a different tonal palette.

The instruments of Wednesday Night Orchestra provide a wonderful variety of colours and textures, that allow us to re-imagine the Kohesia Ensemble sound, and expand upon our ideas in a way we haven’t done before.”

Tickets for this show are on sale through Humanitix, a registered charity offering 100% of profits from booking fees towards education programs for Young Girls, and scholarships for Indigenous Australians… yet another great reason to see this show.

Kate and the Kohesia Ensemble appear thanks to WAYJO’s 2021 Major Programs Partner, Minderoo Foundation.

WAYJO presents Kate Pass: Kohesia & the Far East Suite
Sat 10 Jul, 7.30pm
WAYJO WNO, with special guests Kate Pass and the Kohesia Ensemble
The Rechabite, Northbridge | Tickets wayjo.com

Hashtags: #WAYJO2021 #RechabiteJazz #KatePassKohesia

Media Contact:
Justine Thornley
WAYJO Marketing
marketing@wayjo.com
+61 8 9471 1950

Photo of Kohesia Enemble by Josh Wells

Buy Tickets
Kate Pass Kohesia & the Far East Suite

Classic, Contemporary & Commissioned Jazz in June

WAYJO are back with Jazz at The Maj, presenting Basie & Beyond – A Journey Through Jazz Downstairs at The Maj 11-12 June.

Let WAYJO take you on a bold jazz journey from Basie and into the big band beyond! Enjoy classic jazz repertoire, artfully paired with reinvented contemporary standards, presented by the WAYJO MinterEllison Monday Night Orchestra (MNO). The second half features the Wednesday Night Orchestra (WNO) premiering exciting new works by WAYJO alumni Alana Macpherson, commissioned by the Minderoo Foundation.

WNO bring to life a set of all new music by the Downbeat award-winning composer and arranger. The music, inspired by the composer’s reflections on Australia, was composed during several lockdowns in Europe throughout 2020. This is a unique opportunity to see Alana Macpherson in action shaping the music that was composed specifically for the orchestra.

Alana is a Perth born is a saxophonist and composer currently based in Graz, Austria. Following the 2019 release of her debut album “All or Nothing At All”, Macpherson won the Downbeat Student Music Award for Large Ensemble Arrangement, as well as the 2018 WAM awards for “Best Brass/Woodwind/Strings Instrumentalist” and “Best Live Jazz Act”. She has toured with Emil Spanyi (Hungary), performed with the Vine Street Horns (Phil Collins), KUG Jazz Orchestra, Graz Composer’s Orchestra, James Morrison Big Band, and the Evan Sherman Big Band, among others. Macpherson has performed her works at the Perth International Jazz Festival, King Street Corner Pocket Jazz Festival, and Jazzwerkstatt Festival (Austria).

There’s something for all contemporary and jazz music fans in this bold big band program simply not to be missed.

Tickets to all Jazz at The Maj shows, including the The Golden Age of Swing in August, are available from ptt.wa.gov.au/wayjo

Alana appears thanks to WAYJO’s 2021 Major Programs Partner, Minderoo Foundation.

What people are saying about Alana’s Music;
“Alana is not only is an excellent saxophone player, but she is finding her own unique voice as a composer, arranger and band-leader. She’s a fan of Bob Brookmeyer’s music and you can hear a clear continuation of his concepts in her writing.” – Ed Partyka 2019

Hashtags: #WAYJO2021 #JazzAtTheMaj #BasieAndBeyond


Act Belong Commit Jazz at The Maj for Schools

Students and teachers may also enjoy a special 1-hour school concert-workshop with Alana, Friday 11 June, 3.00pm.
School workshops are great value at just $15 (+bf) per student or teacher/parent – plus you receive 1 complimentary ticket per 9 purchased. School bookings can only be made by calling Perth Theatre Trust group bookings on 6212 9291, or email groups@ptt.wa.gov.au

Hashtags: #WAYJO2021 #ActBelongCommit #JazzSchool #BasieAndBeyond


Media Contact:
Justine Thornley
WAYJO Marketing
marketing@wayjo.com
+61 8 9471 1950

Photos by Simon Reithofer, Reithofer Media