Mark Walton. Photo internet.

14 Australians have gathered with their flutes, clarinets, saxophones and other wind instruments. „The Sydney Windjammers” ensemble is going to play three pieces of music composed by an international hero General Tadeusz Ko¶ciuszko at the opening of exhibition Tadeusz Ko¶ciuszko - Hero of the Nations” at Macquarie University, on Thursday, 27th of July 2006.

Not all of them are true blue Aussies. The host, professor Graham Wood comes from New Zealand. He is a Head of the Department of Statistics at Macquarie University, and music is his hobby. He plays bass clarinet.

From right to left: Graham Wood & Simon Gross. Photo Andrzej Kozek

More about Graham Wood, click here. www.biotechnology.mq.edu.au/Wood2.htm

The only Pole in the group, Tomasz Karolewski is an engineer. While in high school, back in Warsaw, he learned playing a guitar “to impress girls”. Five years ago he started playing clarinet.

From left: Robinson Quezada & Tomasz Karolewski

Robinson Quezada comes from Chile. An analytical chemist, he works at CSIRO in the Division of Petroleum Resources. Got a Yamaha clarinet as a birthday present from his wife and had no choice but to learn how to play it.

We listen to the music, two polonaises and a waltz which Ko¶ciuszko composed (probably) when he was imprisoned in St Petersburg. What a pity the General could not hear his music being played by a group of Aussies so far away from Cracow, at the other end of the planet Earth, here in Sydney.

We were to meet tonight Jo and Mark Walton who had been so kind to arrange the original music for Windjammers, but they left earlier. We hope to meet them some other day. They are well known in the music circles. Let me introduce Mark Walton who for many years lectured at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

On Australia Day 2005 Mark was awarded an OAM for his contribution to music education especially through videoconferencing and nurturing talent in regional areas. Mark is widely acknowledged in many parts of the world as a leading clarinet and saxophone performer, inspiring teacher and charismatic musician.

He left his native New Zealand to study clarinet in New York and London and with Stanley Drucker of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Gervase de Peyer of the London Symphony Orchestra.

Since 1985 Mark has been resident in Sydney and was Chair of Performance, Outreach and Communications at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

Mark has written, compiled or edited for several different publishers over 150 music publications, many of which have become standard woodwind teaching repertoire. He has recorded ten solo albums and his latest CD 'High Spirits' was released September 2003.

Jo Walton. Photo internet.

Mark's wife runs Australian Wind Music Publications.

Born in England, Jo studied the violin at the Guildhall School of Music, London, and then played in the Cape Town Symphony Orchestra. Realising that being married to Mark means 'if you can't beat them, best to join them', Jo started to play the clarinet & saxophone and gained her LTCL Diploma. Jo often goes with Mark to assist with the workshops and festivals that Mark runs around Australia and New Zealand.

As the Waltons left the Lodge, the musicians are conducted by David Keetley.

Conductor David Keetley, John White & Graham Wood. Photo Andrzej Kozek

-Are you a professional conductor?
-Not at all!
-You simply know how to do it?
-Yeah..I started playing piano when I was seven. Then played trombone in the Bristish Army in my late twienties. And then I had a very long break. Got married, had children, but picked it up later.

From right: Simon Gross, Mamie Long & Doug Farrington

-So you are not a professional musician?
- No, I am a civil engineer, kind of retired, working part time as a consultant.
- Is conducting easy?
- Not so easy, especially with a big score with lots of instruments you have to read vertically rather than horizontally. But I enjoy it, it is my hobby.

-What these Thursday evening rehearsals mean to you?
- The greatest thing, to me, is the enthusiasm of the people here. There are a lot of them who had not been connected with music in their youth and have picked learning their instruments only five years ago and because of this enthusiasm the standard improves, it improves week by week.

- When did you start rehearsing Ko¶ciuszko's music?
- About two months ago. Of course Mark & Jo made the arrangement for us from the original score.
- Was it complicated to translate it from harpsichord solo to wind instruments?
- That was the sheer ability of Mark & Jo. This was fantastic because it was a difficult job.
- Even though it is rather a simple music?
- Yes, but the arrangements for all those different instruments was not easy, Jo did a fantastic job here.

- What are your plans - or dreams - concerning Ko¶ciuszko's music?
-My dream is that we would actually play it in Cracow!
- Whaaaaat! Fantastic. And play it perhaps in the Market Square there?
-In the Market Square, yes!

- From what I know, Graham's dream is to play the music right on Mt Ko¶ciuszko.

- That's certainly an ambition.

Helena Boden, Jenny Clark & Rita Wills

- How many pieces The Sydney Windjammers have in their repertoire?
- About 50. We range from 16th century classical music to modern jazz, we are trying to do a good cross-section. You have heard us playing Creole jazz tonight, some people like classical, some like it jazz so we try to do a bit of each.

- So you're going to play at Macquarie University soon. Apart from that, where, who for and how often do you perform?
- We play at different functions and in two weeks time we will play in the North Sydney Leagues Club along with an a capella group & a North Shore concert band and if all goes well we will play Ko¶ciuszko's waltz there as well and the polonaise.
- Wouldn't it be wonderful to conduct while wearing a Polish costume?
- Oh yes!

That night people talk about Ko¶ciuszko a lot. They ask many questions. About his contribution to the American Independence War. About his testament regarding Black Americans. About the history of polonaise as a national Polish dance, too. Not all the questions could have been answered straight away. But we are happy to provide some vital info & links here.

Polonaise. Darling Harbour 2005. Photo Krzysztof Kozek

POLONAISE - Polish national dance, in moderate 3-4 time and of slow, stately movements. It evolved from peasant and court processions and ceremonies of the late 16th cent. and was later used by J. S. and W. F. Bach, Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt. Chopin, exiled from Poland, expressed his patriotic fervor in 13 polonaises.

See also:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Poland

encyclopedia.jrank.org/PIG_POL/POLONAISE_ie_Polish_in_French_.html

Back to the Hunter's Lodge.

Tomasz Karolewski, Stewart Underhill & Doug Farrington

Over to Stewart Underhill now.

- The true blue Canadian? Is it you Stewart? How long have you been in Australia?
- 41 years now. I came out here because I married a lovely Australian girl. I decided to stay because it is much warmer here.
- How long have you been playing oboe?
- For twelve years now and I also play piano and have been singing with choirs back in Canada and in opera choir as well. I sung in church choirs too, I am still doing a bit of singing, actually I am also conducting for a church choir and play piano. So music has been my life really. I started when I was four years old.

- And what did you do for living?
- I was involved in human relations, industriual relations that is, and retired two years ago, and in fact I retired altogether threetimes.
- How often do you perform with the Windjammers?
- I haven't been with them that long, I have only been with them a few times, and performed in one college, I could not go on two trips they had because I was elsewhere involved, I also play with another concert band, but I have more time now.

- You play Ko¶ciuszko music. What do you know about Ko¶ciuszko?
- The only thing I knew was when my wife took me to Mt Kosciuszko until I got this music, and I played it on my piano first because I always play first on piano, as it is my first instrument, and thought hey, this is really great, it takes me back to what Chopin has done, as I do play Chopin, I am familiar with some of his music.

- Would you dream to play the Kosciuszko music on Mt Ko¶ciuszko?
- It certainly would be a lovely idea, I would be thrilled to do it!
- You think it is feasible?
- I think as long as it it not in winter time, summer time yes it would be great, that would be something extraordinary.
- You play oboe, why such an instrument?
- It has a nice, kind of a nostalgic sound. Next to the flute, it is the closest to the human voice.

We go over to Simon Gross now.

- Simon what do you do for living?
- I write programs for computers.
- And you play saxophone.
- I started playing it five years ago. I wanted to play piano but I could not carry the piano around so I got sax instead, that's easier.
- So you will carry your sax to Mt Ko¶ciuszko one day to play the polonaises there?
- I think so. We can do that, why not? And if it is too cold on top, we can play at the bottom.
- What are your other hobbies?

A cover of a CD produced by Puls Polonii

- Children really. My kids and music. I have got five of them. One plays trumpet, one used to play clarinet but no more.
- Do you have time for your kids?
- I have to. My wife is very good, she looks after them mostly and I look after them mostly on weekends.

- Is it hard to get away on a Thursday night to rehearse the music?
- Not really. I am straight from work. My wife is quite happy for me to go here, she takes care of the kids, it's so good.
- Do you practice at home?
- Yes, I do in the evening, not every day but whenever I can, sometimes for an hour or two.

- You practice because you want to play better or because you want to cool down after a hard day?
- Ah, both really. It's fun, it's very relaxing, and with a glass o wine I play things I did not play before, it's good, I love it.
- Have you heard of Ko¶ciuszko?
- Only about the mountain. And a few weeks ago I heard of your hero, Graham told us about it, I really did not know anything about him until just recently.

- Before Graham told you about Ko¶ciuszko, what nationality, you thought, Ko¶ciuszko was?
- I knew he was Polish, we are thought it at school but we didn't know why somebody named the mountain after the Polish person or who he was...
- Do you know there is a battle going on to keep the name of the mountain?
- Really? Are they trying to change it? To what?
- To some Aboriginal name.

- Hmmm. I think we should have our own tradition, you know, we have already named the mountain and I think we should keep that name.

- Glad to hear it. Thank you.

And most of all sincere thanks to Graham for having invited us to the rehearsal.

Please read an article "Tadeusz Ko¶ciuszko and his polonaises” published by Puls Polonii” in the Pol Oz Net section on 23 Marca (March) 2006.