25 Years in Review

In 2025 the Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra reaches the quarter of a century milestone of providing musical educational services to the Shoalhaven and South Coast communities. Enjoy looking back on our rich history.

Members of SYO (2002)

Beginnings

Founded in 2000, the Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra was born from the disbandment of the Shoalhaven Philharmonic Society in 1999. Margaret Bowcher (local educator, musician and mother) was looking for something musical for her children to participate in. Coming up short, Margaret took it upon herself to raise interest among certain influential individuals in the community and council to form a youth orchestra of their own.

Trudi Last, Margaret Bowcher, Martin Millgate, Kim White, Allan Baptist with Deputy Mayor and Shoalhaven Arts Board chairman, John Anderson, seated.

Shoalhaven Independent, 05/01/2000

Margaret was the first President of the Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra, known then at the time as the Shoalhaven Music Network (SMN), and is fondly referred to as the Mother of the Orchestra. SMN received a crucial $8,000 grant from the Shoalhaven Arts Board, chaired by then Deputy Mayor John Anderson, to fund its first conductor, tutors and recruit young musicians.

“The orchestra will grow to attract more talent and will serve to strengthen music education as well as the cultural life and image of the Shoalhaven” Anderson commented in the Shoalhaven Independent (05/01/2000).

Tanya Phillips and Nigel Edwards were selected as the organisations first leaders, accompanied by local teachers. Having established themselves as accomplished educators and conductors in their work at the Wollongong Conservatorium and development of the BHP orchestra, they provided the newly formed youth orchestra with musical direction.

The youth orchestra begun with a strict instrumentation, comprising of just string and woodwind instruments and “if possible two French horns” (The Shoalhaven and Nowra News, 27/01/2000). Rehearsals would begin on Saturday afternoons at the Nowra Technology High School after auditions were completed on January 29 2000 at the Nowra Showgrounds Meeting Rooms.

The Shoalhaven and Nowra News, 27/01/2000

The Shoalhaven and Nowra News, 13/01/2000

South Coast Register, 26/01/2000

South Coast Register, 02/02/2000

South Coast Register, 16/02/2000

South Coast Register, 09/02/2000

South Coast Register, 16/02/2000

With auditions completed, the search for SYO’s first musicians had been successful and rehearsals began on Saturday 12th February 2000. Over the course of the year students would work with Tanya and Nigel and a variety of local educators, including Gaye Adlington, Maryanne Balbi, Arthur Bowcher, Jacqui Hitchcock, Catherine Le Brun, Tanya McGrath and Paul Pritchard in preparation for various performances.

SYO’s inaugural concert was set for 2.30pm 20th August 2000 at Coolangatta Estate. The orchestra by then comprised of 7 first violins, 9 second violins, 4 third violins, 1 cello, 2 flutes, 2 clarinets and an oboe. They ranged in ages from 9 to 17 years of age and came from Nowra, Bomaderry, Berry and two members came from as far as Tabourie Lake.

South Coast Register, 12/07/2000

Shoalhaven & Nowra News, 17/08/2000

SYO's inaugural concert program and musicians

What Next?

With the orchestra having performed it’s inaugural concert to roughly 200 people in a packed room, the committee then looked to future opportunities for its musicians.

The year 2000 held a significantly special event for the Shoalhaven. This was when Nowra partook in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Torch Relay celebrations, hosting the “Nowra Olympic Celebration” at the Nowra Showgrounds (day 95) on Sunday 10th September 2000.

The Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra performed at this free event in a mass ensemble along with aria award winner Jimmy Little and vocal icon Marcia Hines . As a local paper indicates, the mass ensemble performed four songs arranged by Mike Butcher; “Advance Australia Fair, Waltzing Matilda, I Am Australian and the theme from the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey” (the opening theme from Richard Strauss’ tone poem Also sprach Zarathustra)

To finish SYO’s busy first year, Margaret had one more trick up her sleeve and that was calling in a favour from her brother- Jeff Leyton, the British musical performer. Jeff Leyton had played the lead role in Cameron Mackintosh’s “Les Miserables” from 1991 as well as Old Deuteronomy in Cameron Mackintosh’s “Cats”. He now visited Nowra to perform alongside the Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra.

South Coast Register, 08/11/2000

South Coast Register, 23/11/2000

Building on Strong Foundations

The Shoalhaven Youth Orchestra had launched itself into a musical 2000; performing at a nationally recognised olympic event, accompanying an internationally acclaimed West End performer and proudly showcasing young emerging talent in the Shoalhaven

2001, and the many years to come, laid the groundwork for many educational offerings and performance opportunities.

In 2001 a second ensemble was added to the organisation’s schedule to foster the talent of beginner string students. Rehearsals would commence during school terms on Saturday afternoons for half an hr, 3pm-3.30pm at the Nowra Showgrounds.

The Shoalhaven & Nowra News, 08/02/2001

Maddie Hitchcock & Bernadette Morrison, 2001

Members of SYO's preparatory string group, 2001

SYO performed at the Moonlight and Rising Stars Concert held at Ferngrove Farm in Berry on Saturday 12th January 2001. The event was hosted by the Rotary Club of Berry and Gerringong and supported by the Shoalhaven Arts Board in an effort to bring awareness to local talent and the need for future funding of the arts in the Shoalhaven.