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Brass
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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. |
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Danny Carmichael studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He has taught at many Sydney high schools and was Director of Bands at Killarney Heights Public School. 
Danny was a finalist in the National Jazz Awards at the Wangarratta Festival and has performed with Thirsty Merc. He has been teaching trombone and baritone horn at the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music since 2006. |
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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. |
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Nick Garbett holds a Bachelor of Music (Jazz Performance) degree from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. Nick is one of Australia’s rising star jazz trumpeters and recently performed in New York. 
Nick, who also writes music for bands such as The Vampires and The Strides, has toured extensively in Australia and New Zealand and has been teaching at the Wollongong Conservatorium since 2006. |
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Daivd holds a Master of Arts degree in Music and Music Education from Columbia University, New York. His teaching experience includes work at various schools in Sydney and Canberra. In addition to his brass teaching he also has extensive experience as a band director. He has performance experience with the Faculty of Teachers College Columbia University Improvisation Ensemble and the Canberra Symphony Orchestra, and has worked closely with the Little Orchestra Society of New York. He also runs his own antiquarian book and record business in Wollongong. |
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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. |
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