The Brisbane Regional Youth Orchestra (BRYO) will tour to Dalby and Roma on Saturday 30 June, taking with them 50 orchestral and band instruments they had raised for musical charity Gift of Music. These instruments, many of which donated by members of the orchestra themselves, will be given to rural schools who would otherwise go without in the Maranoa area, including Dalby, Miles, Surat, Injune, Mitchell, Wallubilla and Roma.

Approximately 60 members of the orchestra, all aged between 10 to 25 years old, along with professional tutors from Brisbane, are taking part in the tour. They will be performing in both Dalby and Roma and will be giving local school students the opportunity to attend workshops and perform with the orchestra in both concerts. This is a fantastic opportunity for children in these rural areas, to play their instruments with a large orchestra, and is something they may never otherwise have the opportunity to do.

Gift of Music is always in need of musical instruments, both new and pre-loved, and donations to cover the transport of instruments. Just this month, Gift of Music sent 40 brand new ukuleles to two small indigenous schools in the Northern Territory, Mataranka and Jilkminggan, so they can start a music program, as well as guitars and keyboards to an indigenous school in Laura, in the far north Queensland, for the same reason. As a charity, Gift of Music relies on donations to make projects like these possible.

To donate instruments before BRYO ventures on tour, visit OzWinds Brisbane in Greenslopes.

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