Australia’s oldest and most prolific University Big Band, The Sydney Conservatorium Big Band #1 is touring the East Coast in September and October including performances at three major Jazz Festivals.

Jazz audiences in Adealide, Hobart, Brisbane, Canberra, Manly, Sydney & Newcastle will be treated to a dynamic and powerhouse ensemble featuring the musicians of tomorrow, today! For two special appearances in Sydney (Oct 25) & Brisbane (Oct 27), the Orchestra will be joined by one of the worlds leading composers of her generation, Claudia Dőffinger (Germany) in her debut Australian performance of her award winning works for Big Band.

The Sydney Conservatorium Jazz Studies course, the oldest and most prestigious in Australia, runs 4x Big Bands making it the largest Jazz Orchestral program in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the world! The Conservatorium Big Band #1 is our flagship ensemble and it’s alumni included a who’s who of Australian jazz luminaries, Freedman Fellows, National Jazz Award winners and a healthy cohort of NY based alumni currently taking on the world. Led by Australian Jazz Luminary and Big Band fanatic, David Theak, the SCBB set list has been curated and meticulously rehearsed to present the hippest available repertoire including cutting edge originals by the worlds leading composers, time honoured classics and vocal led classics reworked in a contemporary way.

Claudia Dőffinger Biography

“She is a musical force with scary potential” - All about Jazz

German Jazz pianist, bandleader and composer Claudia Döffinger is a rising star of the European Big Band scene having finished a master degree in Jazz piano and pedagogy at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CH) as well as a master degree in Jazz composition at the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (AT).

Claudia´s biggest passion is big band! In 2018 she published her first big band album „Monochrome“. Since summer 2021 Claudia is living in Cologne, composing, arranging and working a lot for large ensembles like the hr Big Band (D), Subway Jazz Orchestra (D), Spielvereinigung Sued (D), Jazzkombinat Hamburg (D),Big Band Zug (CH) and UMO Helsinki Jazz Orchestra (FI).

Recently she founded her own big band „TORSO VENTUNO“, where she brought together musicians from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria and Germany, which she had met in the last 15 years on her musical path. The debut album just has been recorded in march 2024 and will be out on february, 14th 2025.

She is founder of several smaller ensembles, like fourscape (experimental groove) and ELiNOR (acoustic Jazz quintet) with which she has toured actively all over the world and published many albums: 2020 the third album of fourscape ‚Better angry than sad‘ and 2021 the debut album of ELiNOR ‚von oben‘ came out.

Döffinger wants to move people through her music, either emotionally or physically.

Claudia was honored with several national and international prizes: she won the first prize at the Helsinki International Big Band Composing Contest (FL/2021) and was nominated for Deutscher Jazzpreis in the category ´best arrangement` (DE/2021). Further she received the Harald-Kaufmann-Preis and Startstipendium (AT/2018). She won the Downbeat Student Music Award (2017&2018/USA) and was honoured at the 3rd International Composition Contest Katowitz (PL/2016). Last but not least Claudia was one of the selected participants for the Metropole Arrangers Workshop with the Grammy winner Lalah Hathaway and conductor Vince Mendoza (NL/2015).

Claudia taught Jazz composition and arrangement at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CH) and at the Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (DE).

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/claudiadoeffinger/?hl=de

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/claudia.doffinger/

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/@claudiadoffinger206

GIG DETAILS:

Monday 27th October 2025

General: $20 Entry (+GST & BF)

Concession: $10 Entry (+GST & BF)

Doors open from 7:30pm

Music starts at 8pm

ALL AGES (people under 18 need to be accompanied by a guardian)

LICENSED BAR