DBR Masterclass Series - James Brice - 5 November

Head of Performing Arts - Knox Grammar School, Sydney, Musical & Artistic Director: Castle Hill RSL Youth Wind Orchestra (YWO) and North West Wind Ensemble (NWWE)

North West Wind Ensemble (NWWE)With 32 years professional conducting, teaching, performing, extensive State, Regional & National adjudicating experience, together with outstanding personnel and strategic management skills and experience, James has is currently employed at the Knox Grammar School as the Head ofPerforming Arts, leading a team of 45 dynamic and highly experienced Australian educators and tutors across 73 weekly rehearsals, involving 700+ boys for which he has built since his appointment in 2007.

James commenced his musical journey on euphonium in Melbourne, initially through the school band program in 1984, and more extensively through the Victorian Bands League (VBL) Brass Band scene throughout 1986-1995. Initially forming his love of brass banding through his years with the Brighton Municipal Brass Band, James went on to accept principal euphonium positions with the Melbourne Transit Brass Band and the Footscray Yarraville City Band from 1990-95. In addition to his time with these bands, James also performed with Hawthorn Band and Box Hill City Band for concerts and contests throughout 1990-95, quite often in the same week. In addition, James was appointed Musical Director of the Moorabbin City Band (1992-95), following his initial appointments as Assistant MD with Brighton Municipal Band in 1988, and MelbourneTransit Band in 1991-93.

As a soloist during these years, James was fortunate to win Victorian Junior Euphonium & Baritone State titles in 1988-89 and the Australian National Open Euphonium championship in 1993 in Launceston.

During his tertiary years (1990-93), James majored in Music Education, Performance and Conducting, where he was fortunate to study conducting with Lt. Col Barry Bignell. Also, during these years, James was successful in receiving his Associate of Music Australia – A Mus A with distinction in 1993, prior to successfully submitting and attaining his Licentiate Diploma – L Mus A, as Australia’s first euphonium candidate in 1994.

In 1995, James recorded and produced his solo CD titled ‘Symphonic Variants for Euphonium’ and was also successful in auditioning and acquiring his appointment in the R.A.A.F. Air Command Band - Sydney.

During his tenure in the R.A.A.F. Air Command Band – Sydney, James further developed his skills on trombone, bass trombone and tuba, in which he received also attained his A Mus A on Tuba in 1998.

After his exceptionally successful 11-year performance career as the Principal Euphonium/ Trombone and Tubist with the R.A.A.F. Air Command Band - Sydney (1996-2007), James was appointed Musical and Artistic Director of the Castle Hill RSL North West Wind Ensemble and Youth Wind Orchestra, in 2005. Since this time, James has led these ensembles, together with his Knox Grammar School Ensembles to extraordinary unparalleled success, with 64 NSW State and Australian National Championship title performances since 2005, together with 48 Award placements in the annual Sydney Eisteddfod featuring Bands, Orchestras, Stage Bands and associated ensembles. Furthermore, in the recent 2021 Australian National Online Festival of Bands, James’ community bands received 8 GOLD and 4 PLATINUM Awards.

James has recorded, performed on, conducted, edited and produced many CD & DVD recordings of note, inclusive of his solo CD, ‘Symphonic Variants for Euphonium’ in 1995, three ‘ABC Live’ recordings with the RAAF Air Command Band - Sydney, solo and chamber music recitals for2MBS FM, recordings for Manhattan Beach Music and Reed Music, an extensive array of online ‘live streamed’ ensemble performances, 22x CD and DVD recordings (2008-2021), featuring the Knox Grammar School extensive Band, Orchestral, Jazz Band, Choral and Musical Theatre program, the 2008 professional international CD release of ‘Wild Nights’ featuring the North West Wind Ensemble (NWWE), generously assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, together with his most recent professional international CD release ‘No Strings Attached!’ with the North West Wind Ensemble in July 2018. Further to this, in recent years, James has successfully attained synchronisation/distribution rights for the release of many large scale recording projects featuring the Knox Grammar School Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Castle Hill RSL Youth WindOrchestra and North West Wind Ensemble throughout 2019-2021.

James previously served on the Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA-NSW) Committee (2014-2017), as Chair the Professional Development Subcommittee. He has written pedagogical feature articles on Adjudication, Recruitment and Retention, Australian Repertoire, and in recent years has prepared and presented ‘The Good Music Guide – Composers in the Spotlight – Parts 1 & 2" providing an invaluable interactive Professional Development online resource for Wind Band conductors.

Abroad, James has led, co-ordinated and showcased the Knox Grammar School Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Knox Symphony Orchestra and the Castle Hill RSL Youth Wind Orchestra on six separate international performance tours, including a European Tour to Salzburg, Vienna, Hodonin and the Czech Republic (2009), two USA Tours to New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego (2010 & 2012), has toured China with performances of ‘original orchestral literature’ in many of China’s most prestigious Concert Halls and Universities in Beijing, Xian, Guilin and Hong Kong (2015), toured the North and South Islands of New Zealand in December 2016, and finally to Spain and Portugal in December 2018.

James was also appointed Musical Director of the NSW State Youth Concert Band in 2012 and has been a seasonal guest conductor with the Monash University Wind Symphony throughout 2012-2017. James is also a Brass Examiner for the Australian Music Examinations Board – AMEB NSW, joining the team in 2017.

In October 2019, James served as a guest international clinician working with Students, BandDirectors and School Executive Staff in Shenzhen, Beijing, Wuhan & Zhengzhou.

In 2020, James was proudly awarded ‘Life Membership’ of the Band Association of NSW for his distinguished service, professional and voluntary commitment to the NSW Band movement over many years.I

In 2021 James was awarded the Hills Shire Council ‘Citizen of the Year Award’ as part of our 2021 Australia Day Awards, being recognised for his exceptional commitment to community music education, performance, well-being and community connection through the pandemic, by creating and providing interactive online rehearsals, innovative rehearsal and motivational strategies for the members of both the Castle Hill RSL Youth Wind Orchestra and North West Wind Ensemble in creating and producing collaborative ‘Audio Visual - AV Isolation Recordings’ performances on the ‘world stage’ throughout April to December 2020. 

Finally, on the 26th January 2022, James was exceptionally grateful and immensely humbled to have been awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his service to Music Education and Performance, an honour for which he is tremendously proud to have received.