Sydney Youth Band
Encyclopedia
The Sydney Youth Band of the Salvation Army
(or SYB) is a brass band
based in Sydney
New South Wales
, whose membership is that of people aged 13–30. It is primarily made up of Salvation Army soldiers, and others that attend The Salvation Army. It is financed by the Salvation Army's Sydney-East Illawarra
Division but serves more as a regional youth band for the Sydney, Newcastle
and Wollongong area. It is the only Salvation Army combined brass band of its type in Australia
.
These figures generally remain consistent.
in 2009 was launched at the Sydney East Illawarra Divisional rally at Sydney Congress Hall on 2 November 2008. The band was to play at the 'Centenary Of The Salvation Army in Chile' celebrations from 22 July to 8 August 2009. This tour was canceled in early 2009 and the band toured Papua New Guinea instead.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
(or SYB) is a brass band
Brass band
A brass band is a musical ensemble generally consisting entirely of brass instruments, most often with a percussion section. Ensembles that include brass and woodwind instruments can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands , but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert...
based in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, whose membership is that of people aged 13–30. It is primarily made up of Salvation Army soldiers, and others that attend The Salvation Army. It is financed by the Salvation Army's Sydney-East Illawarra
Illawarra
Illawarra is a region in the Australian state of New South Wales. It is a coastal region situated immediately south of Sydney and north of the Shoalhaven or South Coast region. It encompasses the cities of Wollongong, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven and the town of Kiama. The central region contains Lake...
Division but serves more as a regional youth band for the Sydney, Newcastle
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
and Wollongong area. It is the only Salvation Army combined brass band of its type in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
The band
The band is made up of young people who are, in some way, affiliated with The Salvation Army through both attendance and active participation in a local corps. It is a moderately sized band and consists of:- 11 cornets
- 1 Eb sopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
cornet - 1 flugel horn
- 4 tenor horns
- 2 BaritonesBaritone hornThe baritone horn is a member of the brass instrument family. The baritone horn has a predominantly cylindrical bore as do the trumpet and trombone. A baritone horn uses a large mouthpiece much like those of a trombone or euphonium, although it is a bit smaller. Some baritone mouthpieces will sink...
- 4 trombones
- 1 bass trombone
- 2 euphoniumEuphoniumThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
s - 4 EEb and BBb bassesTubasTubas or Toubas is a small Palestinian city in the northeastern West Bank, located northeast of Nablus, a few kilometers west of the Jordan River. A city of over 16,000 inhabitants, it serves as the economic and administrative center of the Tubas Governorate. Its urban area consists of 2,271 dunams...
- percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
These figures generally remain consistent.
Bandmasters
| Bandmaster | Period Served |
|---|---|
| Graeme Press | 2001–2002 |
| James Hill | 2002–2009 |
| Joshua Mann | 2009 – present |
The Band Executive
As at 1 January 2011, the SYB band executive is:| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Bandmaster | Josh Mann |
| Assistant Bandmaster | Jonathan Lang |
| Band Sergeant & Colour Sergeant | Josh Godkin |
| Band Treasurer | Daniel Evans |
| Executive Officer | Major Kelvin Pethybridge |
Notable Performances & Tours
- SYB performed with the Melbourne Staff BandMelbourne Staff BandThe Melbourne Staff Band is the premier brass band of the Salvation Army in Australia -History:From its beginnings in Adelaide the Salvation Army spread rapidly and soon reached Victoria where the first corps in the state was opened in December 1882 at North Melbourne...
when they toured in 2007.
- They participated in 2007's Salvation Army commissioning weekend activities playing in a concert with Sydney Congress Hall Band, The Sydney Veterans Band and Brisbane City Temple Band. These four bands then combined to make a "mass band" celebrating Sydney Congress HallSydney Congress HallSydney Congress Hall is a Salvation Army Corps situated in the Sydney's CBD. Not only is SCH the oldest Corps in the Australian Eastern Territory, it was also the largest Corps in NSW for much of the 20th century...
's 125th anniversary celebrations.
- The band performed at 2008's World Youth DayWorld Youth Day 2008The 23rd World Youth Day 2008 was a Catholic youth festival that started on 15 July and continued until 20 July 2008 in Sydney, Australia. It was the first World Youth Day held in Australia and the first World Youth Day in Oceania. This meeting was decided by Pope Benedict XVI, during the Cologne...
celebrations in front of 200,000 people. Specifically, at the re-enactment of the Stations of the CrossStations of the CrossStations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
at BarangarooBarangaroo, New South WalesBarangaroo is an inner-city area of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the north-western edge of the Sydney central business district and the southern end of the Sydney Harbour Bridge...
on Friday 18 July.
- A group of six performers from the band performed the Salvation Army hymnHymnA hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
tune Abide With Me on Channel SevenSeven NetworkThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
's SunriseSunrise (TV program)Sunrise is an Australian breakfast television program, broadcast on the Seven Network. On weekdays the programme follows Seven Early News, and runs from 6am through to 9am.-History:...
morning program.
- The band toured VictoriaVictoria (Australia)Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
from the 29th to 31 August in 2008. They visited South Barwon and Warragul Corps as well as MelbourneMelbourneMelbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
City Temple.
- SYB played with James MorrisonJames Morrison (musician)James Morrison AM is an Australian jazz musician who plays numerous instruments, but is best known for his trumpet playing...
and The Onfire Big Band at Sydney Congress HallSydney Congress HallSydney Congress Hall is a Salvation Army Corps situated in the Sydney's CBD. Not only is SCH the oldest Corps in the Australian Eastern Territory, it was also the largest Corps in NSW for much of the 20th century...
in November 2008, for a Christmas concert.
- The 'PNG Tour 09', which commenced in early July '09, saw the band playing their unique style of Brass in crowds of up to 3000+ people, they were the first foreign Salvation Army band to tour Papua New GuineaPapua New GuineaPapua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
since The Salvation Army, CampsieCampsie, New South WalesCampsie is a suburb in south-western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Campsie is located 13 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district, on the southern bank of the Cooks River. Campsie is the commercial and administrative centre of the City of...
Corps Band in 1985.
Cancelled Tours
The band's tour of ChileChile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
in 2009 was launched at the Sydney East Illawarra Divisional rally at Sydney Congress Hall on 2 November 2008. The band was to play at the 'Centenary Of The Salvation Army in Chile' celebrations from 22 July to 8 August 2009. This tour was canceled in early 2009 and the band toured Papua New Guinea instead.