About
The Golden Kangaroos Hornsby Concert Band was originally established as the Hornsby Concert Band in 1970 under the baton of Victor Grieve. It prides itself on being a true community band with a great family atmosphere and caters for the whole range of musical abilities for all ages.
The band currently consists of senior, intermediate (Explorer) and beginner (Discovery) concert bands, a marching band, various chamber ensembles and a stage band. Development of the Explorer and Discovery band members is fostered through performances with the senior band through the year and occasional rehearsals where senior band members sit in with the Explorer and Discovery bands.
The band has an unparalleled record of achievement in State and National Competitions and has represented Australia internationally on many occasions, with tours to the USA, Canada, Japan, Hong Kong, Italy, England, France, Holland Belgium and Germany.Notable performances have been our three visits to the sister Cities of Nagoya (Japan) and to Portsmouth (U.K.) and which included two memorable appearances at London's famous Royal Tournament and a concert at St Paul's Cathedral. In our first visit to Germany the Band played at World EXPO in Hannover. The Band has enjoyed no less than five performances in Disneyland, (Paris, Los Angeles, and Tokyo). The Golden Kangaroos have twice taken part in the International Band Festival in Besana, Italy, and for the New Millennium, travelled to Hong Kong for a fully funded tour to welcome in the Year of the Dragon.
In recognition of the Band's four visits to the Somme Battlefields of W.W.I. (France) and performances at Australian War memorials, the Consul General appointed the Golden Kangaroos "AUSTRALIAN BAND OF THE SOMME'. The Band also played at the famous Menin Gate memorial in Belgium, and twice at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
