Yamaha Wind Orchestra 2024 – Professional Development Project

Yamaha Music Australia is excited and proud to invite musicians 18 years and older to take part in this unique performance and professional learning opportunity for 2024, in partnership with ABODA Victoria and ANBOC 2024.

Led by Yamaha Music Australia’s Education Outreach Clinician, Prof. Rob McWilliams, this project will provide unparalleled opportunity on two fronts:

  1. The opportunity to perform in an elite level symphonic wind band, playing top quality repertoire for a single concert performance in an outstanding venue.
  2. Access to unique professional development opportunities for musicians and conductors. Through an innovative approach to the preparation and rehearsal process, this initiative will assist musicians and conductors who deal with wind bands in educational institutions and the community. As part of the Yamaha Wind Orchestra, the ensemble members will receive learning materials related to repertoire selection, program design, score preparation / study, rehearsal / conducting techniques and more!

Participant feedback from previous Yamaha Winds events:

“The quality of the ensemble, the repertoire, the focus on aural acuity, and the PD information. All these things were of the highest quality, delivered by a high quality director”

“The PD material was incredibly useful, I got so much out of it. The music we played was amazing. This was an excellent opportunity. Definitely will do it again next year.”

Yamaha Wind Orchestra 2024 Schedule

VENUE DATES
Rehearsals Melbourne, TBC
  • Saturday 22nd June
    • 11:00am - 5:00pm
  • Sunday 23rd June
    • 9:30am - 4:00pm
  • Wednesday 3rd July
    • 11:00am - 5:00pm
  • Thursday 4th July
    • 9:30am - 12:30pm
ANBOC 2024 (optional) Carey Baptist Grammar School, Kew, VIC, 3101 Thursday 4th July - Sunday 7th July
Concert Carey Baptist Grammar School, Kew, VIC, 3101
  • Sunday 7th July
    • 11:00am - 1:00pm
  • Applicants MUST be 18 years or older as at the date of the first rehearsal.
  • Applicants must play a symphonic wind band instrument.
  • Applicants will be shortlisted and may be contacted to provide an audition video. Previous Yamaha Wind Orchestra participants will not be required to submit a video audition if chosen. Audition video requirements are listed below.

For further terms and conditions, please see here.


  • Applicants may be required to audition via video submission. The video needs to have clear visibility of the player and instrument and reasonable quality audio (decent quality phone recordings are fine). The audition recording should demonstrate the player’s highest level of ability on TWO contrasting items (or sections of a single item): one displaying technical ability/control, the other displaying lyrical/expressive style.
  • Applications will be reviewed by a panel, including experts outside of Yamaha Music Australia, and selection decisions will be final.
  • If you would like to also audition for one of the limited number of opportunities to rehearse, conduct and be mentored in addition to playing in the ensemble, you should be comfortable rehearsing and conducting wind band music from levels 3-4.

Applications for the Yamaha Wind Orchestra 2024 Project have now closed and applicants will receive an email soon to confirm their participation. If you would like to be the first to know about the next Yamaha Wind Orchestra, please sign up for updates below.