Orange Regional Conservatorium

Brass

Gerry Ramage - Head of Brass (Trombone)

Gerry comes to Orange offering wide ranging experience in brass teaching and performance, both nationally and internationally.

Having had a broad primary and secondary musical education in choirs and brass bands in Sydney, he diversified into Orchestral, Jazz and Commercial music pursuits in the early 1970’s on both trombone and electric guitar.

A scholarship on Trombone with the ABC National Training Orchestra and Jazz Studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, along with private studies with one of Australia’s most outstanding trombone teachers, the late Baden McCarron, gave Gerry the foundations for building a successful musical career in many fields of music, including Symphony, Opera and Ballet Orchestras, Jazz Bands, Ethnic, Rock Bands, TV and Radio, Nightclubs and Recording Studios.

After playing in most of the professional Sydney seasons of popular musicals over 20 years, and teaching at many prominent schools on Sydney’s North Shore, he accepted a temporary position as a Brass Teacher on Guernsey in the Channel Islands in 2001, which lasted for 5 years instead of the intended 12 months!

Among others, Gerry has played for: Dame Shirley Bassey, Gene Pitney, Dame Joan Sutherland, Julio Iglesia, Luciano Pavarotti, John Dankworth and Cleo Lane, Jerry Lewis, Geoff Harvey Midday show band, ‘Macca’ and Sir Harry Secombe. Professional Musical productions in Sydney include: Cats, Les Miserables, La Cage Aux Folles, Camelot (with Sir Richard Harris), Guys and Dolls, Porgy and Bess, Nine, Barnum, Sugar Babies, Hello Dolly and Sweet Charity.

Orchestral playing includes: Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmanian, West Australian, Singapore and Guernsey Symphony Orchestras, Australian Opera and Ballet, Victorian State Opera, Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, London Festival Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Sydney Philharmonia and Australian Chamber Orchestras.

Gerry’s main goals in coming to Orange are to communicate some of the vast playing experience he has had in professional ensembles to the pupils of Orange, in the hope that some of them may continue on to higher levels of performance and achievement, but that most of them will develop the ability to express their inner musical feelings in a practical and meaningful way and gain a living appreciation of the world of musical expression.

Paul Terracini - Trumpet

Paul Terracini is an Australian musician, conductor, composer and teacher who has recently returned to Australia after living and working in Europe. He has previously held permanent positions as Principal Trumpet in the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra (1975-1979); Lecturer in Trumpet, Concert Band, Brass Ensemble and Big Band at the QLD Conservatorium of Music (1982-1988); and Solo Trumpet in the Danish Chamber Players, Denmark (1991-2007)

For the last ten years he has written and conducted a great deal of music for film and television in Europe, plus three series for Australian television – “Hymns of the Forefathers I&II” for ABC TV, and “Classical Destinations”, for SBS TV. The music for these series has been released on CD and DVD by Decca and ABC Classics. His title music for “Classical Destinations” was featured on the “Number 1 Classical Album of 2007”, released by Decca. “Classical Destinations Educational Series”, for which he wrote and conducted the theme music, has just been released worldwide for educational purposes in secondary schools by one of the world’s biggest publishers of music, Hal Leonard Publishing. He has also conducted ten CDs with the Prague Symphony Orchestra, as well as conducting opera in Germany and concerts in Italy. Some recent commissions have been the title music for “Classical Destinations Series II”, to be recorded by the Australian Chamber Orchestra in 2008 and the orchestration of music for a new CD recording to be conducted by Barry Tuckwell.

Terracini has performed as soloist in Europe, USA and Asia. In Australia, he has appeared as trumpet soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, QLD Symphony Orchestra, Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. While working at the QLD Conservatorium from 1982-1988, he conducted the Conservatorium’s Concert Band, Brass Ensemble, and Big Band. In addition to this, he was a frequent guest instructor all over Brisbane and QLD in the secondary school system, giving masterclasses and workshops.

While living in Europe from 1989, he taught trumpet, brass ensemble, and chamber music instruction at two conservatoriums and countless secondary schools. He has guest-conducted many ensembles in Denmark, as well as giving masterclasses in Germany, China, Norway, Estonia and Latvia. While living in Europe, he was a frequent guest in Australia, giving masterclasses at the Sydney Conservatorium, QLD Conservatorium, and Newtown High School for the Performing Arts.
Terracini has recently returned to live in Australia and has settled in the Blue Mountains. He now intends to focus his musical activities on free-lance composing, teaching and conducting.