Category: News

A first for Gippsland Symphony Orchestra, their recent concert at Wesley of Warragul was recorded by 3BBR-FM. Listen back to the broadcast in the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall on Sunday 23rd July at 4pm.

Like the recent broadcast of the Yarragon Studio concert and interview with the music director of the GSO David Williams, 3BBR-FM is proud to support broadcasts of performances by local and international musicians visiting our region.

This is the first time since the orchestra was established in 2015, that a concert by the Gippsland Symphony Orchestra has been recorded for broadcast by 3BBR and certainly not the last time.

On this occasion, the orchestra was divided into 2 chamber groups of Strings and Wind instruments creating separate chamber orchestras.

The vast program included works by J. S. Bach, Handel, Mozart and Brahms and a variety of fun favourites such as Teddy Bears Picnic and Alexanders Ragtime Band.

Broadcasting of local performances, not only of Classical Music events, but of all genres in the 3BBR-FM wide and varied selection of music programs provides an opportunity for listeners unable to attend or to relive a concert again and to discover the many multi-talented performers living in our region.

On Sunday 9th July from 4pm in the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall, Joseph Baraké presented a recent concert by the virtuoso Melbourne cellist Rosanne Hunt and local though international saxophonist Niels Bijl. This performance at the Yarragon Studio was worthy of any major world concert platform, with works by J. S. Bach, Bestiaire by Alphonse Stallaert, Mark Summer’s Julie-O and a selection of transcribed Bartok violin duos.

Rosanne Hunt, is a virtuoso cellist who comes from a musical family of string players. Her early studies were with her mother Marian Hunt and continued with the Dutch Master cellist in The Netherlands, Anner Bylsma. Rosanne is a founding member of the Melbourne Baroque Orchestra and a cellist with several of Melbourne’s professional orchestras including the Melbourne Symphony and chamber groups. Rosanne teaches cello at the University of Melbourne, the Victorian College of the Arts and privately. She has made a number of commercial recordings. It was in the Netherlands Rosanne first became acquainted the Dutch Saxophonist Neils Bijl and since his move to Australia they make their duet debut at the Yarragon Studio concert.

Niels Bijl is referred to as an International Saxophone Superstar! Born in the Netherlands Niels quickly established a passion for the saxophone having studied with Arno Bornkamp, and completing his studies at the Banf Centre for the Arts in Canada. Niels soon established a career performing with some of the world’s leading conductors, which included legendries like Lorin Maazel, Valery Gergiev and Maris Jansons, and major orchestras including the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam. In 2020 he settled in Australia, after the past 20 years of international concert touring and giving Masterclasses. He has made Yarragon South his home and now collaborates in performances with the Melbourne Symphony and recently a lecturer at Melbourne University, a visiting artist at ANAM and currently teaches at Monash. Niels is a founding member of the Clinch saxophone quartet giving regular concerts around Australia. In November Niels performs in a Duet Concert with local pianist Brian Chapman at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

This concert was recorded for the 3BBR-FM Concert Hall by Garry Havrillay.

You can listen back to this broadcast until early August 2023 via the 3BBR FM Concert Hall program page.

3BBR-FM was there for the jubilant return of the multi-award winning Boolarra Folk Festival, recording every concert for Gippsland Live, our weekly showcase of local live performances.

After a three year hiatus, thousands of people flocked to Boolarra in early March for the festival, a completely free community event held at ARC Yinnar on the Friday night, and in Railway Park in Boolarra throughout Saturday.

Gippsland Live (heard weekly from April) began broadcasting concerts from the festival on April 12, featuring the headline act from the Friday night event, local Steely Dan aficionados Doit Doit . Gutsy blues singer/guitarist Anna Scionti, and brilliant virtuoso guitarist Nick Charles are just a couple of the many acts to follow in subsequent programs.

“The performances were great and we appreciate the help of the Festival and the performers in allowing us to share the joy and musicianship on show,” said producer Garry Havrillay, “We’re also thrilled to be able to give these under-represented and emerging artists a chance to be heard more widely.”

Tune in to 103.1FM on Wednesday nights at 8.00pm, stream online via 3bbrfm.org.au or the Community Radio Plus App, or listen later via our audio-on-demand  service at https://3bbrfm.org.au/programs/gippsland-live.

Broadcast schedule for Boolarra Festival concerts
April 12, 8pm	Doit Doit
April 19, 8pm	Anna Scionti
	Half Cut Hicks, pt.1
April 26, 8pm	Half Cut Hicks, pt.2
	Hip Pockets
May 3, 8pm	Nick Charles
	Frolic & Detour, pt.1
May 17, 8pm	Frolic & Detour, pt.2
	Brasswind Circus
	Kindred
May 31, 8pm	Harry Hook
	Strzelecki Stringbusters
June 14, 8pm	Skiffle Party
	Coalville Road, pt.1
June 28, 8pm	Coalville Road, pt.2
	The Reel Deal
July 12, 8pm	The Weeping Willows
	Jungle Jim Smith

Listen back to 3BBR-FM’s radio version of the Warragul Theatre Company’s production of Oscar Wilde’s witty classic comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest” as directed by Rob and Amy Robson.

Rediscover the fun of making movies in the mind with classic radio drama, and the joy of Wilde’s absurdist play from 1895 described as a trivial comedy for serious people.

The cast for this radio recording;

Luke Pepping as John Worthing, J.P.
Toby Just as Algernon Moncrieff
Deb Welch as Lady Bracknell
Isabel Stephens as Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax
Elyse Clyde as the governess Miss Prism
John Black as Rev. Canon Chasuble, D.D.
Matthew Vale as the butler Merriman
Michael Winterton as manservant Lane

Directed by Rob and Amy Robson
Recorded by Paul Strickland
Post-production for radio by Garry Havrillay

These guys appear to be taking Studio 2 apart!

Finally we’re going to have the carpet replaced in Studio 2, and ahead of the day, a flash mob turned up to do some heavy lifting and cleaning. Russ seized the opportunity to give the wall a lick of paint, and we even found half a dozen lost pens that are sure to go into general revenue.

Thanks to Phil H, Susan B, Russ H, Tom McG, Wayne P, Richard R, Garry H, José & John M & Joseph B who all turned up to help take the studio apart.

Then…

Et voila! All in one day.

The coda was to put fabric on the eastern wall…

We’re always looking for new presenters and program ideas that support local and Australian artists and communities, so if you’ve always wanted to be on the radio (or help in other ways), apply now. We’d love to hear your fresh idea for a program that you and friends would want to hear. Your local community radio station is for everyone, and we’re keen to diversify our volunteer mix.

As much as possible our schedule keeps live presenters apart for Covid safety, and we only have a small number of other volunteers attending the station for the purposes of maintenance and cleaning.  Every local presenter who can pre-record their show remotely will still get to air.

So no matter who you are, step up and join us!

Find out more about how to become a 3BBR Presenter.

The Golden Guitars Awards are at the heart of the Tamworth Country Music Festival, for both artists and fans alike.

On Saturday 21 January, 3BBR broadcast the whole event as it happened from 6.00pm through to after 11pm.

The Golden Guitar Awards are the nation’s longest running music awards. They celebrate recording excellence and showcase the cream of Australian country music artists, and the songs that have left their mark on the fans throughout the past 12 months. The night is the pinnacle awards event for country music.

Listen back to 3BBR’s live broadcast via TBS (Tamworth’s 88.9FM)

0.00:00 – 1:00:00 – The red carpet lead up to the awards, chatting with stars as they arrived
1.00:00 – 1:30:00 – A preview of the major awards and the nominees
1.30:00 – 5:09:00 – The Golden Guitar Awards

From 2.00pm on Sunday 7th January 2024, the 3BBR FM Concert Hall features the inaugural concert by the Australian Saxophone Collective recorded exclusively by 3BBR-FM; four saxophones playing as a quartet and as a trio.

This concert includes the world premiere of a movement from the Saxophone Trio No. 1 by Australia’s 13 year old child prodigy Jack Brunialti-Sykes.

Also included are works by Decruck, Frank, Ravel, Shostakovich and Bernstein.

A world premiere recording by saxophonist Amy Dickson with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra
of the Concerto for Saxophone and Orchestra by Ross Edwards completes this broadcast.

Missed the program? Listen back via the 3BBR FM Concert Hall program page.

It is with much sadness that we learn of the death of presenter, Board member and very active member of 3BBR John Beauchamp, known to all simply as JB.

As well as presenting his programs for many, many years, he was, from the onset of COVID, an instigator of many of the changes that the kept the radio on air, and in many ways improved the overall sound and capabilities of our station. He was presenting his programs and attending Board meetings right up to the end, and in the latter days was still as fiery and vocal as he was when he was well.

He was active in production as well as promotional work and was single minded about raising the profile and performance of 3BBR. He set very high standards, but then rolled up his sleeves and got on with whatever needed doing.

In most of his programs he made sure to insert a good helping of madcap humour, and in our conversations he was always witty and a bit of a devil.

When people pass away we often say they will be missed, but in John’s case it’s true to say “we will not see his like again” and those who worked closest with him will miss his drive, his passion for Community Radio, and our regular Thursday pizza lunches, even if he was the only one who really liked the anchovies.

No words will console his family, so let us simply say our farewell and thanks for the time we spent with John and that we will each hold a special memory of JB in our heart.
— Tom McGhee

 
You can listen back to John’s last programs…

Our normal schedule resumed on Tues Nov 1.

Baw Baw Shire is just putting the finishing touches to a major rebuild right next door in the same building as 3BBR. This was expected to be completed mid-October, but unfortunately took longer. The works meant temporary changes to our schedule. With restricted access, we had little choice but to replace some programs that would normally be live. Thanks for your understanding.

Programs returning are;

Tuesday
Graeme Marriott’s Music is My Beat  (3.00pm – 6.00pm)

Wednesday
Terri Trewin’s Time for Terri  (1.00pm – 3.00pm)
Sam Horner’s Sam’s Alternatives  (6.00pm – 8.00pm)

Friday
Graeme Marriott’s Rock Archives  (9.00am – 11.00am)
Russ Hughes’ Jokes, Jives and Jottings  (12.00pm – 2.00pm)
Peter Kessels’ Upbeat Soul  (3.00pm – 6.00pm)

Sunday
Graeme Marriott’s Sunday Night Applause  (6.00pm – 8.00pm)
Graeme Marriott’s Moments to Remember  (8.00pm – 10.00pm)

Yay!