‘World premiere’ performances

The music was for a new show created by famed comedic performer Tim Ferguson. Billie and the Dinosaurs is a lively narrated orchestral work in which young audiences learn about the unique paleontology of Australia. The show was premiered through a series of workshops at the Arts Learning Festival.

At the conclusion of each workshop, the Big Band performed an eight-minute medley of original songs from the show composed by Geoff Willis. These workshops saw the first public performances of the music anywhere in the world.

“It has been great to gain extra public performance experience,” said Hugo Klempfner, Year 12 student and Captain of the Big Band. “In addition to playing a fun piece of music, we interacted with the audience by individually explaining our instruments to them.”

Conductor of the Big Band and Head of Brass, Mr Colin Doley, agrees. “The musical score of Billie and the Dinosaurs is designed for youth orchestras but it certainly has its challenges,” he explained. “I was delighted with the determination each boy demonstrated to master the piece and, in particular, the way they supported each other throughout the journey.”