CHAMPION BAND

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 65, 19 March 1925, Page 9

CHAMPION BAND

PERFORMANCE IN AUSTRALIA

CONDUCTOR'S ' ENTHUSIASM*

(FROM OCR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

SYDNEY, 11th March.

The success of the Malvern Tramways Band in gaining the brass band championship at Auckland has.greatly delighted the people of Melbourne, but has not surprised them. Success has consistently followed the Malvern combination so long that new victories are expected from every contest. It is a big achievement to become the premier Band in Australia and New Zealand, especially when it is considered that the Malvern champions started in a very humble way just a few years ago. Much of the success is unquestionably due to tht personality and enthusiasm of the conductorHarry Shugg—a young man with plenty' of initiative, and with wide vision. It is not very long since the chief function of the band was to play at Malvern on Sunday afternoons, so as to attract people to the district. With the acquisition of Mr. Shugg as conductor, however, the musicians quickly won a definite position in musical life of the city. Prominence was gained by the victories at the Ballarat championship contests, and the reputation of the band suddenly swelled from a suburban to a national one. The bandsmen returned last Monday, atid the same evening gave a concert In the Sydney Town Hall. A large audience had the opportunity of hearing the .band in two test pieces in which it won the A grade championship of New Zealand at Auckland-^an adaptation of Beethoven s "Eroica"' Symphony, and Henry Geehl's "On the Cornish Coast." lhe Sydney Morning Herald" critic' saj-s of the perfprmancej "The visitors have been winning big prizes at contests in Victoria -for many years, and listening to their playing at this concert one could readily understand why. Mr bhugg has under his control a fine body of musicians, who distinguished themselves by virile and brilliant tone, admirable balance and unity, and artistic contrasts of light and shade. The web ot tone produced in some of the bis climaxes was like that of a great organ " Very_ large crowds are now attending the band's performances in Melbourne.