A SHORT HISTORY
Founded in 1972 as a special project for the Centenary Year of the City of Holroyd Council, Holroyd Brass Band has gone from strength to strength over the past 40 years.
Starting out with less than 20 members, the band quickly grew enjoying play-outs in the local community and competing at state and national level. The band quickly excelled to become an A grade band, and has remained so for the better part of its life.
As the band’s membership continued to grow, a Junior Band was welcomed to the Holroyd Family. During its time, the Junior Band achieved many wins at both state and national levels.
Today, Holroyd Brass A-Grade band has over 35 members ranging in age from enthusiastic teens to sprightly seniors. The band still enjoys a good competition, as well as entertaining audiences at concerts and local events.
OUR MUSICIANS
Holroyd Brass has many talented musicians among our ranks ranging from music teachers to professional musicians. We welcome all levels of players to the band.
A number of our players have been playing with the band for many years, some since the band began over 40 years ago.
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Dale Vail
Holroyd Brass has a wealth of talent not only amongst its players, but also our musical director. During the bands rich musical history, many talented conductors have directed the band. Currently, the band is conducted by Dale Vail.
Dale is both a trombonist and composer from Christchurch, New Zealand, drawn to the instrument since he was 2 years old.
Dale’s musical life to date has seen him very active in the New Zealand Brass community, in bands, orchestras and as a soloist. His involvement across the spectrum of musical genres has given Dale a drive to use multiple genres or musical techniques to create unique performances of his own.
Dale became a student at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington in 2013, where he was awarded the Director of Music’s Choice Scholarship in his opening year, and graduated with 1st class honours in 2016.
During the four years he spent at the school, Dale became very involved in local ensembles, including the Royal New Zealand Air Force Band, Orchestra Wellington, and the Wellington Brass Band. He also began his own New Orleans Jazz group called the Brass Bandits, who became a familiar sight on the streets of Wellington.
As a soloist, Dale has won several awards, including the NZSM Brass Player of the Year for three of his years at the school, became the National Brass Band Trombone Champion of New Zealand on three occasions, and also won the Gisborne International Brass Prize three times.
Dale moved to Melbourne in 2017 to continue his studies at the Australian National Academy of Music, whilst also working towards his Masters of Music research via correspondence through the Griffith University of Queensland. Here, he studied with some of the finest tutors available, including Scott Kinmont, and Michael Mulcahy. Here, Dale won the 2018 award for “Best Program in a Solo Recital”, for his recital consisting of five new featured works for Trombone composed by himself.
Dale is now living in Sydney, holding the position as the 2019-2021 Sydney Symphony Orchestra Trombone Fellow. Despite his first choice of specialisation as an orchestral trombonist, Dale can be found working regularly with New Zealand and Australian brass bands as a performer, conductor and composer, and values the roots of his musical history strongly.