ENSEMBLES 2025

Regional Youth Orchestra NSW

The Regional Youth Orchestra NSW (RYO) is an audition-based youth orchestra for talented students from NSW Regional Conservatoriums. RYO provides students opportunities to play with other regional youth musicians and learn from leading conductors, orchestras and artists from Australia and the world. RYO holds annual auditions to assemble a cohort of talented students for a youth orchestra. Members grow, develop and extend their orchestral experience, working together as a team on a range of projects. We established RYO in 2016, following successful orchestral projects in earlier years, collaborating with Australian and international orchestras and in partnership with the Sydney Opera House. NSW Regional Conservatorium students have participated in orchestral projects with the following partners: Opera Australia Orchestra 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018; Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 2013; London Symphony Orchestra 2014, 2023; Australian World Orchestra 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024; Sydney Conservatorium 2017; Sydney Symphony Orchestra 2017, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024; Staatskapelle Berlin and Sydney Opera House 2018; Regional Arts NSW Artlands and Artstate Festivals 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019.

Patrick Brennan

Conductor

Patrick Brennan is a distinguished conductor and music educator, renowned for his contributions to the Australian music scene. On completing undergraduate and postgraduate study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Patrick spent over 15 years as a professional bassoonist with Australia’s leading orchestras before transitioning to conducting. His extensive experience and passion for music education have led him to create and develop several cornerstone organizations, including the Northern Sydney Symphonic Wind Ensemble (NSSWE), Central Coast Opera, and the Regional Youth Orchestra NSW. As the Artistic Director of the Central Coast Conservatorium of Music since 2012, Patrick oversees a team of nearly seventy teaching staff, delivering comprehensive music education to over 1,500 students weekly. His visionary leadership has also seen the formation of the Central Coast Opera, which has successfully staged full-scale productions such as The Magic Flute, Carmen, and La Bohème. Patrick's commitment to nurturing young talent is evident in his creation of the NSSWE Plus program, offering weekly professional development for tertiary music students. Under his guidance, this high-calibre wind ensemble has gained national recognition, performing at prestigious international festivals like the Midwest Clinic in Chicago, USA and ANBOC in Melbourne, Australia. In 2020, Patrick was selected for the Australian Conducting Academy, working with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra under Maestro Johannes Fritzsch. His role as Chief Conductor of the Regional Youth Orchestra NSW has facilitated collaborations with world-renowned orchestras, including the Australian World Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. In 2022, Patrick was awarded an industry partnership PhD position at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Griffith University. His research, in collaboration with the Australian Conducting Academy and major Australian State Orchestras, focuses on contemporary career pathways for aspiring conductors and the evolution of the Australian Conducting Academy. Patrick Brennan continues to inspire and elevate the music community through his dedication to excellence in performance and education, making him a sought-after figure in Australia.

Additional Concerts Program