User:The Cunctator/Engineeering Music Society

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The Melbourne University Engineering Music Society Logo

The Engineering Music Society (EMS) was created in 1991 as an outlet for students who are not necessarily studying music, but are interested in continuing to play music. EMS was formed as a student club of The University of Melbourne, Australia (under the umbrella of the Student Union), and has grown from a small orchestra to a society with over 200 members.

EMS is not just for Engineering students — membership is open to all Melbourne University students, staff, students and staff from other Universities, and the general public. First years, and players of French horn, bassoon, tuba, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone, viola and double bass are especially welcome, particularly if they can bring their instrument to every rehearsal.

History

EMS was created in late 1991 by Astria Price, Patrick Quin, Bruce Clapperton and Lucia Santoso, all Melbourne University electrical engineering students, and it was originally called the Melbourne University Engineering Orchestra (MEO). The first rehearsal, under the baton of James Gunning (inaugural conductor) kicked off in March, 1992, and was held at the Laboratory in Queen's College, Melbourne.

Over time, the Orchestra grew and became the biggest student instrumental group on campus outside of the Music Faculty. EMS, supported by the Faculty of Engineering, has been involved in many events, including (but not limited to), the annual Faculty of Engineering McLennan Oration, the annual Faculty of Engineering Dean's Honours Awards, a performance at the IEAust National Engineering Convention, and various radio broadcasts.

Past presidents of EMS:

• Astria Price and Patrick Quin (1992)
• Kent Grieg
• David Fergusson
• Anthea Condilis (1997)
• Andrew Finegan (1998)
• Robert Hutton
• Cath Vero
• Daniel Ciddor (briefly)
• Robyn Annett (2001)
• Phil Anderson (2002)
• Luke Mawbey (2003)
• Tom Anderson (2004)
• Felix Liebrich (2005)
• Clarissa Moreira (2006)
• Leon Wang (2019)
• Hyein Kim (2020)
• Lucca Marchetti (2021)
• Jenn Shi (2022)
• Sena Fukushima (2022) (Semester 2 onwards)

Groups

Orchestra

The EMS Orchestra is the "flagship" of the society. It was the first group created, and has consistently outgrown almost every rehearsal and performance venue. The Orchestra has a mainly classical repertoire, but is diverse enough to include show tunes, music from productions, and popular arrangements.

The Orchestra currently rehearses from 5:30pm until 7.30pm on Monday nights in room 207, Engineering block D, on the Melbourne University Parkville campus.

Conductors (past and present) of the EMS Orchestra include:

• James Gunning (1992 and 1993, first half)
• Unknown (1993, second half)
• Mark Knoop (1994)
• Paul Jarvis (1995)
• Michelle Stanic (1996 and 1997)
• Sue Cook (1998)
• Leila Marimuthu (1999)
• Willem Van der Vis (2000, first half)
• Tony Brookes (2000, second half, to present)
• David Reichman (circa. 2010-2022)

Stage Band

The EMS Stage Band was originally started by Daniel Ciddor in 2000, but due to lack of interest was disbanded. In the second half of 2000, Miles Izzo and Robyn Annett re-formed the Stage Band and continued to hold rehearsals despite attendance being low. The Stage Band has grown since then, and during the first half of 2005 was a 27-piece big band (6 trumpets, 8 trombones, 8 saxophones, piano, 2 drummers, guitar, and bass) with a dedicated leader/conductor. The Stage Band has in the past performed many works of music by composer Tim Davies.

Due to the large size of the stage band (it was hard to fit everyone!), for the second half of 2005, the stage band was split into two- the Monday and Tuesday stage bands, both of a more reasonable size.

The Stage Band currently rehearses from 5:30pm until 7.30pm on Monday and Tuesday nights in the gym, Mondays in the Frank Tate building, and Tuesdays in room D207 in Engineering Block D, on the Melbourne University Parkville campus.

Leaders of the EMS Stage Band include:

• Daniel Ciddor (2000, first half)
• Miles Izzo and Robyn Annett (2000, second half, until 2002)
• Adam Arnold (2002)
• Sam Parry (2003 until 2005)
• Dave Crowden (2005, Monday Stage Band)
• Miles Izzo (2005, Tuesday Stage Band)
• A pretty cool guy 😎 (2019-2023, Monday Stage Band)

Concert Band

If the Orchestra is the "flagship" of the society then the Concert Band is the mainstay. The Concert Band was formed due to an abundance of woodwind and brass musicians in the Orchestra. It was properly formed with its own rehearsal in 2001; previously the Orchestra's surplus woodwind and brass musicians had rehearsed as a Concert Band at the conclusion of each Orchestra rehearsal.

The Concert Band continues to move from strength to strength. Presently numbering greater than 50 players, the band has a remarkably complete instrumentation for an amateur group. A full complement of brass and percussion instruments as well as piccolo, oboe, bassoon and all saxophones (even soprano!) means that the band is capable of the complete range of timbral and dynamic qualities that Concert Bands are famous for.

The Concert Band currently rehearses from 5:15 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday nights in room 207, Engineering Block D, on the University of Melbourne Parkville campus.

Conductors of the band include:

• Tony Brookes (2001 -- dates dubious)
• Adam Arnold (2002 and 2003 -- dates dubious)
• Andrew Conley (2004 to present)

Repertoire in recent years has included:

• Lord of the Rings by Johann de Meij (2003)
• The Magnificent Seven (aka the Victoria Bitter Theme) by Elmer Bernstein (2003)
• Invocation and Toccata by Robert Ward (2004)
• Star Wars by John Williams (2005)
• Both of the Holst Suites (2004, 2005)
• Various Grainger pieces (2004, 2005)

Other groups

EMS is also home to a number of smaller groups. Currently, these include:

• String quartet
• Brass quartet/octet
• Jazz choir
• Jazz combo
• Handbell ensemble
• Cello octet
• Percussion ensemble

Social activities

One major aspect of EMS is the social activities. After each rehearsal (Mondays and Wednesdays), the groups attend a local pub for a few drinks (currently the Corkman Irish Pub, Melbourne). In addition to this, there are many group outings (to see musicals, concerts, etc), and there is also the EMS camp. The camp provides a unique way for members to meet new people in the club, socialise, and of course to rehearse. The EMS camp is held twice a year. In addition, each concert is obligatorily followed by a Post-Concert Party (PCP). On the Monday following the final concert of each semester, Beer and Freddos is held as a drunken celebration of the semester's hard work.

Performances

Prior to 2004, EMS held two major performances each year -- the First Semester Concert and the Second Semester Concert. Now, the society has doubled its performances -- two concerts in the first semester (usually around May), and two concerts in the second semester (usually around October). Updated: As at 2023, the society has returned to one performance each year.

In addition to these concerts, EMS has performances throughout the year. Other performances include O-week (campus), Discovery Day (campus), City of Melbourne Christmas celebrations, McLennan Oration (campus), Dean's Honours Awards (campus), and various internal University performances.

Concert venues have included:

• University High School, Parkville, Melbourne.
• Melba Hall, Faculty of Music, The University Of Melbourne, Parkville campus.
• Collingwood Town Hall, Collingwood, Melbourne.
• St Paul's Cathedral, Melbourne.
• Wilson Hall, The University Of Melbourne, Parkville campus.
• North Melbourne Town Hall, North Melbourne, Melbourne.
• Methodist Ladies' College, Kew, Melbourne.

Noteworthy

- Discussion to change the honorarium for conductors caused a rift between members of EMS and the committee. After extensive discussion, the honoraria for conductors was officially lowered in 2022. - Orchestra conductor David Reichman asked to resign in October 2022 after years of complaints about his attitude towards orchestra members.

External links

• EMS website