About us
Morris Wind Symphony - Anglican Church Grammar School
Morris Wind Symphony is Anglican Church Grammar School’s (Churchie) senior concert band. It comprises most advanced instrumental students from the Middle and Senior School with the average age of 15. Over the last 5 years the band has won numerous awards and accolades in ensemble competitions and festivals around its home state of Queensland, Australia. The ensemble’s ongoing aim is to engage in serious band literature that explores various styles of music from the Renaissance to the avantgarde. 2012 marks the 100th Anniversary of Anglican Church Grammar School and Morris Wind Symphony is proud to be undertaking its first international tour leading up to such an important year in the school’s history. The boys of MWS are very much looking forward to meeting other student bands from all around the world to share and experience all they can about fine music-making.
Paul Kopetz
Conductor & Director of Concert Bands
Head of Instrumental Studies (Woodwind and Guitar)
Paul Kopetz has been involved in music since the age of 6. He was educated at The University of Melbourne (Bachelor of Music in clarinet/bass clarinet and composition), The Victorian College of the Arts (Graduate Diploma in Music Performance), the Rotterdam Conservatorium (postgraduate studies in bass clarinet and chamber music) and Monash University (Graduate Diploma of Education). Since 1990 Paul has developed a reputation as an active instrumentalist, composer, arranger, conductor and educator.
As an instrumentalist Paul’s career highlights include appearances as Guest Principal Bass Clarinettist with The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, solo clarinet in Topol’s “Fiddler On The Roof”, and recording sessions for radio, film and television. He has recorded for IMAX and the Naxos label. Paul has performed with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, and has worked with musicians such as Marcus Stenz, Hiroyuki Iwaki, Pascal Tortelier, Osmo Vanska, Oleg Caetani, Steven Isserlis, Diana Krall and Paul Grabowski.
As a composer and arranger Paul’s music has been performed in the USA, Hong Kong, Japan, Holland, Poland and Australia. He has produced over 120 arrangements for various ensembles ranging from small student groups to full symphony orchestra. His current style of original composition aims at the fusion of Pop music styles with traditional and contemporary Classical music focusing on exploration of rhythm and contrapuntal textures. He is particularly interested in programmatic chamber music. In 2010 Paul’s “Valse Triste” for string orchestra was premiered at the International Festival of Film Music in Lodz, Poland.
Since his appointment in 2005 to the position of Head of Instrumental Studies at Anglican Church Grammar School in Brisbane (Australia) Paul has been able to establish a strong and dynamic band and chamber music program catering for all ages of students in the form of 5 concert bands, a Preparatory School Instrumental Program, and a range of regular small ensembles. Paul’s growing interest in conducting has been assisted by his participation in the Symphony Australia Conductors’ Development Program and regular work with community bands and orchestras. Having experienced the excitement and challenge of international touring as a student musician, Paul is thrilled to be able to lead a group of fine young instrumentalists from Churchie on their first international tour.
Malcolm Liddell
Head of Instrumental Studies - Brass & Percussion Director of Jazz Ensembles
Malcolm Liddell (M.Mus. QCM) is Head of Instrumental Studies (Brass & Percussion) and Director of Jazz Ensembles at Anglican Church Grammar School. He is a graduate of the Queensland Conservatorium of Music - Griffith University, and holds a Master's Degree in Music Performance, majoring in Trumpet. He has studied with artists including Daniel Mendelow (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Sydney Symphony Orchestra), Yoram Levy (Israel Philharmonic Orchestra), Merrill Debski (Boston Pops Orchestra) and Geoff Spiller (Queensland Symphony Orchestra).
His experience in the professional music and music education business is extensive, having performed for over thirty four years across a wide range of classical and commercial music genres, in addition to teaching in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. Malcolm’s association as a freelance musician with The Queensland Symphony Orchestra began in 1977 and continues to this date with recent performances including concerts with Diana Krall, the Paris Opera Ballet’s La Bayadare, the Ballet Nacional de Cuba’s Don Quixote and Graeme Murphy’s production of Aida.
He is the producer, conductor and leader of the Malcolm Liddell Brass Ensemble which was formed in 1990 for recital performances at Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Performances for the ensemble since then have included the Royal School of Church Music Summer School Concert at St. Johns’ Cathedral in January 1996, the BASF Recording Institute Awards Concert in April 1996, a recital for the St. Andrews’ Chamber Music Series in July 1998, a concert in St John’s Cathedral in April 2001 featuring the Australian premiere of Jubilate! - music for Brass, Choir and Organ by British composer Bob Chilcott, and a concert in St Stephen’s Cathedral in 2008 featuring works by J.S Bach, G. Gabrieli, R. Strauss and H. Schutz.
He was the administrator and manager for the ACGS Symphony Orchestra tour of England and France in 2000, including performances at the Dudley International Youth Music Festival, and performances in Westminster Abbey for HRH Queen Elizabeth II in the service commemorating the passing of the bills in the British Parliament granting Federation in Australia.
Malcolm is a former member of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) and was honoured to represent ACGS Music Department at the IAJE Conference in Manhattan, New York in January 1998. He is a member of the International Trumpet Guild and attended the 35th ITG Annual conference in Sydney, Australia in 2010.
www.qso.com.au
www.trumpetguild.org
Stephen Stanfield
Director of Music and Composer
Stephen Stanfield (b. 1966) is an Australian composer and music educator with a broad interest in art and popular music. In recent times he has been concentrating on electronic composition presented in surround sound performance and listening environments. He undertook his composition training at the Queensland Conservatorium and music education training at Queensland University of Technology. Stanfield was awarded a Master of Music in Composition from Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University in 2000, and is currently undertaking Doctoral studies in Composition at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University.
He has worked as composer, convener and music director for community and personal projects included in the 2003 and 2001 Queensland Biennial Festival of Music (St Mary's Mass We Choose, Critical Mass), the 2000 Brisbane Festival (Symbitronic Ensemble), the 1999 Queensland Biennial Festival of Music (Concert–on–Bicycles, First Light Breakfasts) and the 1997 Mackay Festival of Arts (Son et Luminare). In 2005 he was assistant music director for the Queensland Music Festival's Australian premiere of Credo: Innocence of God composed and conducted by Andreas Molino.
Stanfield has been engaged as composer and surround sound designer for interdisciplinary site–specific collaborations with Queensland visual artist Jonde Keane, choreographers Vanessa Mafe and Cheryl Stock, and Singaporean choreographer Jeffrey Tan. Recent presentations of his electronic works have occurred at the Australasian Computer Music Conference (2008-2010), the Vox Novus 60x60 Project as part of the 2010 International Computer Music Conference and the 2010 Sonoimagenes Festival in Argentina. Stanfield is currently Director of Music at Anglican Church Grammar School, Brisbane Australia.
