Andrew Snell (trombone), David Rooney (trumpet, trombone), Joe Epps (trumpet, trombone, baritone/euphonium, tuba), Eric Dunan (trumpet), Michael Dixon (french horn), Nick Garbett (trumpet)

Born in New Zealand in 1961, Michael began music studies on piano with his grandmother and horn with his father, Hugh. In 1977 he moved to Australia and started his professional career in earnest as a horn player with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra after working as a casual with the Sydney Symphony.

Michael studied for six months in Europe then returned to his native country where he worked as a teacher and played with the Auckland Philharmonia. Following two years with the West Australian Orchestra, Michael performed as a Principal Horn in the Queensland Orchestra from 2001 to 2006. He is currently a candidate for the degree of Doctor of Creative Arts at the University of Wollongong, freelances as a horn player – often playing Principal Horn in the Australia Opera and Ballet Orchestra – as well as teaching at St George Girls’ School and the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music.

Michael has continued his music studies – spending three years learning tabla with Dr. Tarlochan Singh – and in 2001 received the award of Master of Music in Contemporary Musicology at the Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University. A private music study with John Gilfedder followed and in 2005 Michael was awarded his MPhil degree in composition from the University of Queensland.

A strong interest in music composition has developed since 1996. Michael composes for his ensemble Locana (Flute, violin, horn and cello) and has written a number of songs, along with works for brass ensembles, horn ensembles, percussion duo and ensembles, string quartets, orchestras, concert bands and music theatre.

Eric is the coordinator of the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music’s Jazz Program, the Director of Bands for Schools Music Program, and the Director of a number of the Conservatorium's Jazz and Concert bands. He holds a Diploma of Education In Music Education and Bachelors Degree from California State University at Hayward.

He has worked as a professional Trumpet Player in San Francisco from 1989-2000 playing in R&B, Salsa, Swing, and Pop Bands and has joined tours with bands in Europe, Japan, and the United States.

Eric moved to Wollongong in 2001, when he started the Wollongong Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra, Jazz Ensemble, and Jazz Combo Program. As the leader of the Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra, Eric toured Japan with James Morrison, performed at the Wangaratta International Jazz festival by invitation, and won second place at the Reno International Jazz Festival in America as well as numerous performances with leading jazz artists including Bobby Shew, James Greening, Andrew Robson, and many others.

Joe has had a strong connection with brass instruments from the very start, born into a family of brass players and first began playing Tenor Horn at age five. By the age of seventeen, and already an accomplished musician, Joe could no longer resist the urge to follow a “career” in Cabaret, Swing and Jazz Music. Spanning some 40+ years that path has seen Joe as:

A sideman for many international jazz players
Principal trombone in many musical productions
A regular member of “The Daly Wilson Big Band”
Lead Trombone in various Big Bands in NSW and QLD
Principal trombone in orchestras backing International Headline Acts including Sammy Davis Jnr, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones
Musical Director for various Cabaret artists
Resident trombone of many club orchestras
Leader of his own “Lovelyson Orchestra” and
His current “JOE EPPS QUARTET”

Joe fronts his Jazz Trio (Piano, Bass and Drums) on Trombone or Bass Cornet, with an energetic, lyrical style. Often at a pace that would push the boundaries of much more facile instruments than the Trombone.

Nick Garbett has established himself as one of Australia's rising star jazz/contemporary trumpeters. Having studied Jazz at the Sydney Conservatorium, he completed his Bachelor of Music in 2003, and has since made several trips to New York to continue his musical studies with artists including Clark Terry, Avishai Cohen, Cuong Vu, Ralph Alessi and Laurie Frink.

Nick is a full time member/composer with The Vampires, The Strides and Watussi and has toured extensively throughout Australia, South America and Asia.

He has also performed and toured as a session artist with some of Australia’s top alternate/pop acts including Lisa Mitchell, The Beautiful Girls and The Panics.

David Rooney holds a Master of Arts degree in Music and Music Education from Columbia University, New York, and a Bachelor of Education (Music) from University of Canberra. He spent a number of years as a music teacher with the ACT Department of Education and was responsible for developing a substantial band and orchestra program at Alfred Deakin High School. In recognition of this program and its impact on the school community, he was awarded the Betty Brown Memorial Award for Services to Public Education in two consecutive years. In the mid 1990s David was granted study leave, travelling to New York on an international student scholarship, and Ian Potter Foundation Cultural Trust grant to study for his Masters degree at Columbia University.

David has studied trumpet with Paul Plunkett, Max Sommerhalder, Alex Holton, orchestral studies with Mike Mulcahy, and conducting in New York with Maestro Dino Anagnost. He has performed with the Canberra City Opera Orchestra, Canberra Symphony Orchestra and numerous other amateur and semi-professional ensembles in Canberra, Sydney and New York.

In 2009 David joined the team at Wollongong Conservatorium of Music. In addition to working with students in the brass department, he is conductor of the Wollongong Conservatorium Concert Orchestra, and the Concord Concert Band, (the Con's all ages community ensemble). He is also Band Director at Keiraville Public School and is involved with the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music Schools Program. In his spare time David maintains the unofficial Concert Orchestra website (ConOrchestra.com) detailing the Orchestra's activities and providing resources for students enrolled in the program.

David lives locally with his wife Lotte and three sons; Miles, Marley and Lonnie.

Andrew Snell was born in Taunton, Somerset, and started playing trombone at the age of 11. After playing with the local town bands and county youth bands and orchestras he moved to Manchester to study at University College, Salford.

After gaining a BA (Hons) in Band Musicianship he moved across the Pennines to take up the position of Bass Trombone with the world-renowned Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

With Grimethorpe he toured extensively, including Australia, Japan, Germany, Switzerland, France, New Zealand and Hong Kong, and won the National Brass Band Championships and the British Open Championships, the two premier band competitions in the UK. He was involved in the recording of many CDs, radio and television programmes, including the Eurovision Song Contest with an estimated audience of 100 million and the making of the hit film Brassed Off! for which Grimethorpe received two gold discs, one in the UK and another in Australia.

He left Grimethorpe in 2002, after 11 years as a member, and emigrated to New Zealand where he was engaged as Musical Director with Waitakere City ‘Trusts’ Brass; one of New Zealand’s premiere brass bands, whom he directed to become the Champion Band of Australia at Easter 2003 in Newcastle, New South Wales. Since leaving NZ for Australia in 2004 he has worked as Lecturer in Brass and Musicianship at Charles Darwin University, Orchestra Manager for the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra in Sydney before taking up the role of Chief Executive Officer of the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music in May 2008. Until recently he was also Musical Director of the Willoughby Band, one of Australia’s top A grade bands.