Adelaide Wind Orchestra in Gwangju, South Korea

We are immensely proud of our students, staff, alumni and friends in the Adelaide Wind Orchestra (AWO), who have recently returned home from a tremendously successful week in Gwangju, South Korea, for the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles (WASBE) Conference.

Selected from a very limited number of ensembles worldwide, the AWO shared the main concert stage of Namhansanseong Art Hall with world-class colleagues from across Europe, Asia and the US, including Brooklyn Wind Symphony, Landesblasorchester Baden-Württemberg, Philharmonic Wind Orchestra, and many more.

The work of no less than four of our most distinguished composition graduates and current staff – including Dr Martin Cheney, Dr Connor Fogarty, Dr Anne Cawrse, and Dr David John Lang – was performed alongside outstanding Australian music by Holly Harrison and David Stanhope. Legendary American composer Frank Ticheli also conducted the AWO in Wednesday's outdoor concert, featuring his piece 'Folksongs from Jeju Island'.

A special highlight of the conference was the world-premiere performance of Dr Martin Cheney's Like the Very Heaven for Clearness – Concerto for Clarinet and Wind Ensemble (2024), featuring our Head of Woodwind, Lloyd Van't Hoff, as soloist. It has been inspiring and deeply encouraging to see the level of international interest: the AWO's concert sold out to a wonderfully mixed audience of both locals and conference-goers.

A huge congratulations to all involved – particularly to conductor Bryan Griffiths, and President Ben Bersten. We look forward to seeing the new collaborations that will undoubtedly grow from this hugely successful event. Bravo!

If you would like to support the AWO, when they return they continue with their concert series in Elder Hall with 'Painted Rainbows' in September (featuring Simón Pazos Quintana performing Janáček's Capriccio for Left Hand Piano and Wind Ensemble) and 'Mysterium' in November (featuring organist Joshua van Konkelenberg performing Stuart Greenbaum's The Gradual Slowing of the Earth). For all the details, please visit www.awo.org.au.