At last year’s Castlemaine Jazz Festival, Kirsten Boerema and Michael Timcke decided to form a jazz band.
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They put a call out on social media with the vision of founding a high-quality, central Victorian jazz orchestra.
The only pre-requisite was an excellent ability to read music.
“We thought we could put something together because there is lots of great players in our region,” Ms Boerema said.
“There was an enormous amount of interest and lots of inquiries.”
Made up of five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and a five-person rhythm section, the band will play its debut show at the Castlemaine Jazz Festival this Sunday.
Members include heads of music and teachers from regional schools, community members and even an ex-air force band member.
“We had our final rehearsal last night, ran both sets and are feeling good,” Ms Boerema said.
“The festival (organisers) have been absolutely brilliant. We didn’t exist four months ago. We told them we’re just regional players wanting a regional audience.
“The festival gave us a brilliant time slot with two sets.”
The Goldfields Jazz Orchestra performs at the Theatre Royal on Sunday from 9pm to 11pm as part of the Castlemaine Jazz Festival.