IT’s been a bumper week for the Australian National Eisteddfod, with confirmation in the ACT Budget that the ACT government will commit $15,000 in each of the next three years to fund the event.

The good news was made known ahead of time by Arts Minister Gordon Ramsay when he attended the open concert and brass band sections at the Eisteddfod’s bands and orchestras event last weekend.

The announcement, made on Friday night, was welcomed by the president of the Eisteddfod, Sylvia Tulloch, saying: “As well as providing certainty for the next three years, this funding will ensure that school and community bands, orchestras and choirs can access first class performance venues in the ACT.”

The Bands and Orchestra’s section event featured performances by both school and community groups, adjudicated Warwick Tyrrell from Sydney.

Ginninderra Wind Orchestra won the open “A”-grade concert bands section. The orchestra’s jazz band, Twilight Jazz, also took out the open “A”-grade jazz band section.

Other winners included Canberra Brass (open “A”-grade brass band), James McCusker Orchestra (open orchestras), Hunter School of the Performing Arts String Orchestra (open string orchestras) and Precision Percussion Ensemble (open ensembles).

The inclusive nature of the Eisteddfod includes several sections that were non-competitive, including school and age-based sections.

Other Eisteddfod events (singing, piano, choirs and speech & drama) will take place in August and September.

The full list of results in the 2019 Australian National Eisteddfod bands and orchestras section is as follows:

Section B 162, 16 years and under jazz bands (Grade “A”)

Telopea School Jazz Band – Gold

Campbell High School Senior Big Band – Silver

Lyneham High School Senior Jazz Band – Silver

Section B 161, 16 years and under jazz bands (Grade “B”)

Canberra High School Jazz Band – Gold

Campbell High School Year 8 Jazz Band – Gold

Lyneham High School Intermediate Jazz Band – Silver

Radford College Little Big Band – Silver

Trinity Christian College Jazz Band – Silver

Gold Creek School Jazz Band – Bronze

Section B 181, 18 years and under jazz bands (Grade “B”)

Daramalan College Jazz Band – Gold

Radford College Big Band – Silver

Section B 001, open jazz bands (Grade “B”)

Daramalan College Jazz Band – First

Section B 002, open jazz bands (Grade “A”)

Twilight Jazz Band – First

Section B 003, open concert bands (Grade “C”)

Hunter School of the Performing Arts Junior Concert Band – First

John Agnew Band – Second

Tuggeranong Valley Band – Third

Section B 007, open brass bands (Grade “B”)

Victoria Street Brass – First

Section B 004, open concert bands (Grade “B”)

Hunter Wind Ensemble – First

Hunter School of the Performing Arts Senior Concert Band – Second

South Canberra Youth Wind Orchestra – Third

Section B 005, open concert bands (Grade “A”)

Ginninderra Wind Orchestra – First

Canberra City Band – Second

Section B 008, open brass bands (Grade “A”) 

Canberra Brass – First

Section B 163, 16 years and under concert bands (Grade “C”)

Daramalan College Junior Concert Band – Gold

Canberra Girls Grammar School Sapphire Concert Band – Gold

Radford College Gershwin Concert Band – Silver

Telopea School Year 7 Band – Silver

Campbell High School Year 7 Band – Silver

Section B 164, 16 years and under concert bands (Grade “B”)

Young Music Society Concert Band – Gold

Canberra Girls Grammar School Holst Concert Band – Gold

Hunter School of the Performing Arts Junior Concert Band – Silver

Radford College Holst Concert Band – Bronze

St Mary Mackillop Junior Concert Band – Bronze

Section B 165, 16 years and under concert bands (Grade “A”)

Telopea School Wind Ensemble – Silver

Section B 184, 18 years and under concert bands (Grade “B”)

Daramalan College Senior Concert Band – Gold

Radford College Bernstein Symphonic Wind Ensemble – Gold

James Sheahan Catholic High School Concert Band – Silver

Section B 185, 18 years and under concert bands (Grade “A”)

Hunter School of the Performing Arts Senior Concert Band – Gold

Section B 181, 18 years and under jazz bands (Grade “B”)

James Sheahan Catholic High School Stage Band- Silver

Section B PS2, primary school age orchestras

Canberra Girls Grammar School Alma String Orchestra and Stringy Bachs – Gold

Radford College Haydn String Orchestra – Participation

Section B PS4, primary/high school age orchestras

Radford College Elgar String Orchestra – Silver

Radford College Vivaldi String Orchestra – Participation

Section B 186, 18 years and under orchestras

James Sheahan Catholic High School Orchestra – Gold

Section B HS6, ACT high school orchestras

Radford College Corelli Chamber String Orchestra – Gold

Section B 166, 16 years and under orchestras

String Ensemble and Peg Mantle Strings – Gold

Snowy Strings Ensemble – Silver

Orana Steiner School Orchestra – Bronze

Merici College Chamber Ensemble – Bronze

Section B 189, 18 years and under ensembles

Bertali Consort – Gold

St Claire’s and St Edmund’s Colleges Chamber Ensemble – Bronze

Daramalan College String Ensemble – Bronze

Hunter School of the Performing Arts String Orchestra – Platinum

Section B 011, open ensembles

Precision Percussion Ensemble – First

Bertali Consort – Second

Section B 009, open String Orchestras

Hunter School of the Performing Arts String Orchestra – First

Radford College Corelli Chamber String Orchestra – Second

Section B 010, open orchestras

Music for Canberra James McCusker Orchestra – First

Section B HS1 – ACT High School Bands (Beginner)

Lyneham High School Year 7 Beginner Concert Band – Silver

Amaroo School Year 7 Concert Band – Silver

Kingsford Smith School Beginner Band – Silver

Section B HS2 – ACT High School Bands (Novice)

Emmaus Christian School Senior Band – Silver

Namadgi High School Concert Band – Silver

Canberra High School Year 8 Band – Silver

Amaroo School Year 8 Concert Band – Silver

Kingsford Smith School Combined Band – Gold

Section B HS3 – ACT High School Bands (Intermediate)

Lyneham High School Year 8 Concert Band – Gold

Lyneham High School Year 7 Concert Band – Gold

Canberra High School Senior Concert Band – Gold

Melrose High School Concert Band – Silver

Gold Creek Secondary School Band – Silver

Mount Stromlo High School Concert Band – Bronze

Brindabella Christian College Intermediate Band – Silver

Amaroo School Year 9 Concert Band – Silver

Melba Copland Secondary School Band – Bronze

Section B HS4 – ACT High School Bands (Advanced)

Lyneham High School Year 9 Concert Band – Gold

Section B HS5 – ACT High School Bands (High School/College Bands)

Lyneham High School Year 10 Concert Band – Platinum

Brindabella Christian College Senior Band – Silver

Section B PS1 – Primary School Age Bands

Brindabella Christian College Year 5 Nova Band – Silver

Young Public School Band – Gold

Brindabella Christian College Junior Band – Silver

Duffy Primary School Band – Silver

Gold Creek School Year 6 Band – Silver

Kingsford Smith School Year 6 Band – Silver

Section B PS3 – Primary/High School Age Bands

Radford College Sousa Concert Band – Silver

Special Awards:

Kaaren Talty Jazz Encouragement Award – Daramalan College

Masling Encouragement Award – Canberra High School

Platinum Awards for outstanding performances in non-competitive sections:

• Hunter School of the Performing Arts String Orchestra
• Lyneham High School Year 10 Concert Band