{"id":369133,"date":"2026-02-12T22:57:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T12:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=369133"},"modified":"2026-02-18T09:23:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T23:23:47","slug":"two-decades-of-musical-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2026\/02\/12\/two-decades-of-musical-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Decades Of Musical Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
South Burnett Community Orchestra vice-president Andrew Maddern with concert mistress (and first violin) Caz Dingle … Andrew compered the birthday lunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

February 12, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Two decades ago 16 people met at the Carrollee Hotel in Kingaroy to discuss an idea that seemed a little crazy at the time … to form a community orchestra for the South Burnett.<\/p>\n

A few weeks later, the first practice session was held at the Uniting Church Hall and 13 strings players turned up (as well as brass and woodwind musicians)!<\/p>\n

The call then went out for both experienced and novice players of other instruments, and soon the orchestra began to take shape.<\/p>\n

Since that humble beginning, the South Burnett Community Orchestra (SBCO) has continued to grow and provide opportunities for musicians of all ages and abilities to rehearse regularly and improve their skills at workshops.<\/p>\n

The orchestra also organises regular concerts – often raising funds for charity – and has performed in recent years to enthusiastic audiences in Kingaroy, Wondai, Nanango, Kumbia and Blackbutt.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, some of those early members and supporters joined with the SBCO’s current musicians to celebrate the SBCO’s 20th birthday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among those present at the Kingaroy RSL Club lunch were the SBCO’s founding president, Bill Tyler, and his successor, Randall Charlson, who were among the many people sharing memories.<\/p>\n

A highlight of the celebration was the presentation of a cheque for $20,000 to the orchestra by supporters Leanne and Barry Krosch.<\/p>\n

Barry said the money would help the orchestra’s plans to support and retain younger members to ensure it would be around in another 20 years.<\/p>\n

Thank you certificates were also presented to the orchestra’s many community supporters over the years.<\/p>\n

UPDATED with correction: It has been pointed out to South Burnett Online that both brass and woodwind players also attended the first practice session of the orchestra. We apologise for any offence caused to these players.\u00a0 Secondly, no offence was intended by the description of Jo Kennedy as an “orchestra stalwart”. We acknowledge her involvement with the group since the beginning. It would be wrong to assume that by mentioning the date of the establishment of the Pop group, we were also suggesting that was the beginning of her involvement. Several current members of the orchestra were involved that first year including Jane Kennedy, Briony Hoare, Neil Winter and Barney Davoren. Jo Kennedy is the SBCO’s Musical Director as well as conductor.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
SBCO stalwarts Thom and Jo Kennedy … SBCO musical director, conductor and founding member Jo, who also helped to establish a Pop Orchestra youth section in 2021, was presented with the South Burnett’s Senior Cultural Award at this year’s Australia Day event<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
South Burnett mayor Kathy Duff with SBCO supporter Barry Krosch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
SBCO veterans Randall Charlson (the second president) with founding president Bill Tyler … oddly enough, both men are viola players.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Rhonda Smith (saxophone) and Abigail Hawke (alto sax) with volunteer ticket seller Susan Robertson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lyn and Bill Jackson came back to Kingaroy for the celebration … the couple, who now live on the Sunshine Coast, were among the early sponsors of the SBCO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Orchestra supporter Leanne Krosch with SBCO secretary Monica Haak<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Percussionists Kim Hinchliff and Ashleigh Hawkins with, at front, trumpet player Liz Hayward<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Sigrid Hamacher (cello) and Emma Leu-Marshall (viola)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Lynn Charlson, who has been supporting the SBCO since its founding years, with SBCO treasurer Briony Hoare (cello)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Barry and Leanne Krosch presented a cheque for $20,000 to the SBCO (Photo: Kathy Duff)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two decades ago 16 people met at the Carrollee Hotel in Kingaroy to discuss an idea that seemed a little crazy at the time … to form a community orchestra for the South Burnett.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":369134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[863,16,3],"tags":[23],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Decades Of Musical Magic - southburnett.com.au<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two decades ago 16 people met at the Carrollee Hotel in Kingaroy to discuss an idea that seemed a little crazy at the time ... to form a community orchestra for the South Burnett.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2026\/02\/12\/two-decades-of-musical-magic\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two Decades Of Musical Magic - 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