Brian Buggy OAM - Conductor Emeritus, Sydney Youth Orchestras
Brian Buggy OAM was born and educated in Brisbane. He played trumpet in his own jazz band during his school days, winning a violin scholarship to the Queensland Conservatorium. He toured as principal trumpet of the Borovansky Ballet Orchestra.
At 21, he became Musical Director for “The Firm,” J C Williamson Theatres. For 15 years, he directed many of the great musicals of the sixties and seventies, including “My Fair Lady,” “Man of La Mancha,” and “Fiddler on the Roof,” throughout Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. In 1965 Brian conducted the homecoming Australian tour by Joan Sutherland, by then the most famous soprano in the world accompanied by an unknown young tenor, called Luciano Pavarotti.
Following this, Brian took up the position of Head of Music at Knox Grammar School in Sydney for 35 years. His tenure saw numerous City, State, and National Eisteddfod wins by school-based Concert Bands and Symphony Orchestras such as the Knox Abbotsleigh Youth Orchestra (KAYO). Under his leadership, these groups undertook 12 International Tours. Brian was the driving force behind 31 celebrated Knox-Abbotsleigh musicals, which uncovered and nurtured the talent of young performers, including Hugh Jackman, Georgie Parker, Hugo Weaving, and scores of fine musicians now scattered throughout orchestras worldwide.
For 11 years, Brian conducted and presented the Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s popular Family Concerts, taking these productions to ABC orchestras in Melbourne, Hobart, Perth, and New Zealand. In 1998, Brian Buggy was awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his services to Music, particularly in Theatre and Youth Orchestras.
In 2007, Brian took the reins of the Sydney Youth Orchestra Philharmonic, and over the next 14 years, he carved an impressive catalogue of concerts, tours, and premieres. Most notably, he created the famous Meet the Orchestra Concert Program for children, the Mosman Concert Series, and introduced Ballet repertoire into the SYO Philharmonic program. In partnership with the Sydney Opera House, Brian presented “Lemony Snicket: The Composer is Dead” and led the creation of “George Meets the Orchestra,” a digital introduction to the Orchestra, which has now been viewed over 2.2 million times. His recording of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 has been watched over 250,000 times on YouTube.
In 2021, Brian was awarded the first Conductor Emeritus position in recognition of his contributions to the Sydney Youth Orchestras. During this time, Brian was also the Artistic Director of the Christchurch Youth Orchestra in New Zealand, mentoring several promising young conductors. He conducted the Moriah College Symphony Orchestra and regularly conducted and tutored at Band and Orchestra Camps, working closely with various schools across Sydney.
Throughout his life, Brian was an avid arranger and composer with the ability to work with any instrument. He composed scores for Film Australia, incidental music for the theatre, TV, chamber music, and many arrangements for various ensembles, dedicating much work to school performances. During COVID, Brian arranged Beethoven’s 5th for every instrument, including ukulele and guitar, conducting the SYO Classical Karaoke via live stream. For tours across NSW, Brian often wrote and arranged parts so that even beginner musicians could play a symphony in the orchestra. He always found time to mentor and champion young composers in all the programs and schools he was connected to.
His generosity, vast musical knowledge, and passion for teaching, along with a love of a good piece of cake and a chat, have profoundly changed the lives of all who connected with him.
Most significantly, he adored his family and was a devoted grandfather, father and husband. In his own words, his dance card remained delightfully full.
