The Nuriootpa Town band was established in 1880, by a Shoemaker named Otto Riedel. From this humble beginning the band has continued to grow through the years until 2008, where it changed from a brass band to a concert band. This has enabled a larger selection of musicians to join the band.
Instrumentation
What are these instruments you may ask? A concert band is generally made up of 3 major components:
Woodwind:
Flutes, Clarinets, Oboes, Saxophones, Bassoons & Piccolos
Brass:
Trumpets, Trombones, French Horns, Tubas, Baritone Horns
Percussion:
Drums, Tuned Percussion, Bass & Electric Guitars
However, we are not limited to just these instruments! The beauty of a concert band is there is no set “standard”, so we welcome everyone to come along.
Our Current Committee
The Nuriootpa Town Band is lucky to have a team of dedicated volunteers to organise and manage the band. These people include:
President: David Bettison
Secretary: Libby Krahling
Treasurer: Phil Krahling
Musical Director: Sonia Somain
Plus a team of Player Representatives, Librarian, Public Officer – the list goes on.
Our History (in Brief)
The Nuriootpa Town Band has a rich history, now spanning over 140 years! For a in-depth record, please follow the link to the right.
Below are some of the key dates:
- 1880 Band founded by Otto Riedel
- 1880 Friedrich Gilgen appointed MD
- 1889 Anton Wolf appointed to MD
- 1897 Ernst Kindler appointed to MD
- 1919 Mr O.J. Krieg appointed to MD
- 1924 Band practices reduced due to dwindling numbers
- 1930 Mr W. Jarret appointed to MD
- 1930 Mr Cyril Creed appointed to MD
- 1931 Mr J.B. Traeger appointed to MD
- 1932 New uniforms purchased for the band members
- 1932 Nuriootpa Juniors training band formed
- 1933 A Queen competition raised £205 for new instruments
- 1933 Entered the Tanunda Band Competition, coming equal 2nd place
- 1934 NTB Win the Quickstep & Street March in the Tanunda Band Competition
- 1934 Both the NTB quartet & septet win their sections in the Pt. Pirie contest
- 1935 A new band rotunda & practice room is built
- 1936 Mr O. J. Krieg re-appointed to MD
- 1938 New uniforms purchased for band members including boots, leggings & pants
- 1937 – 1940 O. J. Krieg forms a band carnival at Nuriootpa, catering for B, C & D grade brass bands, with a separate section for school bands.
- 1946 Mr. Frank John appointed to MD
- 1948 Mr O. J. Krieg re-appointed to MD
- 1950 Mr. Sam Trenwith appointed MD
- 1953 A house for the conductor built in Light Pass
- 1953 Issues with the band rotunda & practice room surface.
- 1955 only 4 to 5 active members left in the band
- 1955 Mr. Fred Bohem appointed to MD
- 1955 Temporary repairs to Band Building carried out
- 1956 First public appearance of NTB since 1954
- 1958 Major building works commenced & completed
- 1960 Building works are paid off & new uniforms are purchased
- 1969 Nuriootpa Town Band are invited to play for the centenary celebrations in Walla Walla NSW
- 1972 New instruments (32 in total) are purchased
- 1973 NTB win the most successful band award at the Australian National Championships
- 1973 NTB are selected to lead the John Martins (now National Pharmacies) Christmas Pageant
- 1980 Centenary celebrations for NTB are carried out, including the unveiling of a new band hall
- 1980 A fundraising port series is released to assist with raising funds for the new band hall
- 1980 A Centenary book, written by Elmore R. Schulz is released
