Timpanist leaves

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33963, 2 October 1975, Page 16

Timpanist leaves

A Christchurch musician, Graham Johns, will leave this morning to join the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as principal timpanist and percussionist.

Mr Johns, aged 19, auditioned for the position in February, when he was in Australia on holiday. He will replace a 65-year-old timpanist, who is retiring. The orchestra is a fulltime one which works about 24 hours each week, and plays at concerts in Tasmania.

Mr Johns was educated at Thorrington School, Heaton Intermediate, and Papanui and Cashmere High Schools. He left Cashmere High in 1973, but returned to teach music part-time.

Last year he studied music at Canterbury University but left to tour the United Kingdom, China, and Japan with the National Youth Orchestra. He has been a member

of the youth orchestra for four years, and was principal timpanist during the tour. At the International Festival of Youth Orchestras in Aberdeen he was chosen as principal percussionist for the festival orchestra, which played in the Royal Albert Graham joined the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra at 16, and intends to remain a member of the orchestra foundation. He hopes to return to Christchurch in December to play in concerts with the orchestra. He has also played as timpanist for the Auckland Symphonia and New Zealand Symphony when the regular timpanists were not available. Graham also plays the cello, French horn and piano and enjoys classical and orchestral music. His other interest is electronics. He hopes to study overseas, possibly in Germany or the United States.