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Re: The Olympic Band Issue

To: <brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: The Olympic Band Issue
From: "Wendy Spencer" <wspencer@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 10:31:04 +1000
Priority: low
Reply-to: brass-band@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hi All,
I am rather surprised that Nigel has chosen to close this discussion.  It is
the first time since I have been on this list (admittedly a relatively short
time) that I have been aware of him doing so.
Quite frankly, I would like to know a lot more about this issue, as from my
point of view it happened as follows:
Some time ago I read on another mailing list a letter inviting people in
America to be part of a band to play at the Olympic Games to be held in
Sydney in 2000.  I wish I had kept a copy now as I would have liked to quote
it accurately.  At the time I thought that it sounded very attractive and
assumed that the invitation to Australians would be following soon.  No such
thing happened.  Not in my neck of the woods, anyway.
The next thing we know is that there is news of a large band made up
principally of American (and Japanese?) musicians to be performing at the
Olympics - still no mention of Australians.
Questions started being asked about the reason for the apparent exclusion of
Australian musicians and we were told that as the length of the pace of the
American marching bands is shorter than ours, it wouldn't be feasible to
combine the two.
The banding community as well as the wider general public started objecting
to the exclusion of Australian bands from games to be held in our own
country.  As a consequence, the organiser of this particular event was told
to change the arrangements.  The Americans will still be performing at the
Olympics, but not in their original capacity in the opening ceremony.
I would like to know what the new arrangements are.  I would like to know
who is now involved and how they came to be invited.  I would like to know
if the National Band Council of Australia was ever consulted in the process.
Perhaps Stephen Fryday might be able to elucidate as to how his involvement
came about.  Are people aware out there that the only compulsory event in
our national band championships is a marching event? (Yes, that's right -
you don't have to play the test piece if you don't want to - not that it
will do you any good in the final results).
I am not a marching enthusiast, but some are and I do think that Australian
musicians should have had the opportunity to be involved from the start.
I'm sure that the issue of the pace length is a non-issue - I for one would
have no problem at all in shortening my pace.
I am interested to receive more information and I hope that Nigel will allow
it.
Regards,
Wendy Spencer


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