BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Dedication.
It’s learning your parts. It’s developing your technique. It’s rocking up to rehearsal. In fact, for some, it’s embarking on an eight-hour round-trip to rock up to your rehearsal.
This is life for the young rural musician. In our new series Rural Commuters, we interview performers who have chosen to dedicate their time to travel across the state of New South Wales to attend their rehearsals and concerts with the Sydney Youth Orchestras.
What motivates them to journey so far? Why are they compelled to leave their towns to take part in the youth orchestra experience? What do they do along the way?
Let’s find out.
Rural commuter Lilly Bennett (17), double bass
My hometown.
My name is Lilly Bennett and I play the double bass. I am in year 12 at Newcastle Grammar School. I love going to the beach in my spare time because I live about a three-minute walk from it.
I love it here because it’s the perfect mix of country and city. Its super chill, and it’s one of those places where it feels like everyone knows everyone. The beaches are beautiful and nowhere is too far away.
The commute
I play in the brass band, the choir, and the symphony orchestra in my school as well as Sydney Youth Orchestra. It takes me about three hours to get to Sydney Youth Orchestra. Last year, I played in Newcastle Youth Orchestra and Newcastle University Orchestra.
I take double bass lessons in Adamstown, which is about 15 minutes from where I live.
What do you do while you’re travelling?
Because I’m in year 12, it’s very important for me to make the most of my time, so I study while I’m in the car by listening to podcasts and stuff.
My opportunities
I am really looking forward to branching out of Newcastle and [being] a part of such a great orchestra. Through SYO, I get to work with such amazing musicians and learn so much.
How we can support young musicians living rurally
The most important way to support musicians living rurally is to give them a chance to be a part of orchestras in bigger cities; but to also understand that sometimes, they just can’t do some rehearsals. Because it’s not just the rehearsal for them but also, in my case, three hours there and three hours back for every rehearsal. And sometimes, that just is not manageable. I think regional/rural scholarships would be a nice idea as well, because it is very expensive to pay for petrol and stuff to get down to Sydney.
My future
I would love to move and study music performance in Melbourne, and then go on to be a part of orchestras all around the world.
Advice to fellow commuters
Be brave and venture out into bigger orchestras from bigger cities. It’s a huge commitment, and it can be really intimidating. But it’s really worth it to become a better musician and face more challenges.
See Lilly perform with the Sydney Youth Orchestras in the Stravinsky Firebird Suite on April 22.
This event is also an official pop-up point in our national Roving Launch! So be sure to grab a free copy of our inaugural print magazine while you’re there.
Image supplied. Image of Maitland, NSW. Nomad Tales via Flickr, CC2.0.
