The Silent ANZAC

Footscray-Yarraville City Band is proud to present a concert to commemorate the ANZAC spirit in the centenary yearof the landing and ANZAC campaign at Gallipoli.
The concert will honour the courage and sacrifice of those lost in all conflicts and explores the emotion and despair at the futility of war and the human desire for lasting world peace.

The concert features internationally renowned performers along with the Footscray-Yarraville City Band in a production spanning repertoire from the period through to contemporary pieces to present the spirit of our Nation through music and performance.

We are pleased to present at the concert the world premiere of a specially commissioned major work titled ‘The Silent ANZAC’ composed by Todd Smith.

Todd was chosen based on his fast growing international reputation as a composer of significant talent.

He was the first recipient of the Lady Adrienne Stewart bursary for composition and since has written two major works for the Brighouse and Rastrick band of England.

Todd is based in New Zealand and we are thrilled to continue the ANZAC spirit in collaborating on this major work.

At just 20 years of age, Todd is an exciting talent and we look forward to many future works from him.

The musical work ‘The Silent ANZAC’ is inspired by often overlooked story of the Australian submarine, the HMAS AE2, captained by Lieutenant-Commander Henry Stoker and his 32 man crew, whose mission was to penetrate the heavily mined Dardanelles Straights into the Sea of Marmara to disrupt enemy shelling of the Gallipoli shore to allow the ANZAC troop landings and to interrupt the flow of enemy reinforcements by ship.
The efforts of the AE2 was one of the few strategic successes of the ANZAC Day landing at Gallipoli.

Five days later, in the Sea of Marmara the AE2 was sunk and Stoker and the crew of the AE2 Stoker and his crew began three and a half years of captivity in Turkish prisoner- of-war camps.

Footscray-Yarraville City Band are grateful for the support and funding from the Australian Government’s ANZAC Centenary Local Grants Program to present this concert and specially commissioned work.

FREE ADMISSION • Bookings essential through www.trybooking.com/158554