Professionals Tamborine Mountain 
It might surprise some to hear that our community has its own orchestra, but the Tamborine Mountain Orchestra has been around for nearly five decades now. With such a rich history, it’ll take more than one guiding hand to explore it today: that’s why we met up with Tricia Tommasi, Sanne Kreijkamp, and Koen Kreijkamp to learn more about these fascinating music-makers.
by Kyle Hitchmough
How did you come to join the orchestra?
TRICIA: I moved up here from the Gold Coast, I’d just taken up my instrument after a thirty-year break and wanted to join an orchestra. This was the perfect one to join. It’s non-audition, everybody’s super friendly, there’s lots of different standards of playing, and it’s more like a family rather than a more formal orchestra.
SANNE: I came out from the Netherlands to work in Mackay and then moved to Mount Tamborine. There was no orchestra in Mackay so when I heard there was an orchestra here I joined straight away because I was missing my music-making.
KOEN: And I joined as a consequence. I do enjoy it, but I wouldn’t have joined if she hadn’t.
How long have you been with the orchestra?
SANNE: The orchestra has been running for forty-six years, it was founded in 1974.
TRICIA: We’ve also got a lot of younger players now, and the newest people have been with us for less than six months. We’re constantly getting new people through, it really keeps the orchestra fresh and vibrant.
What are the requirements for joining the orchestra?
SANNE: We accommodate all abilities. If you’re a really good player, we often rewrite parts and then those people will get the solos. If you’re less confident, we will adjust parts so they’re a little more playable. We really try to be open to any ability level. Once a year we invite the children to come along to a Christmas concert where we get them to play one or two pieces.
TRICIA: In the last couple of years in primary school, just to give them a taste of a musical orchestra without the commitment. That’s a real opportunity for people with musical children up here that you probably wouldn’t get anywhere else.
SANNE: There is no minimum age. We have a player in the orchestra who’s 11.
TRICIA: As long as you can sight-read music and play along, and you’re comfortable and capable, you can come along. Contact us through Facebook, through the website, email or call us…
SANNE: We’re going to have Twitter soon. We’re moving into the 21st century!
How often do you perform?
TRICIA: We have four concerts a year, generally before the school holidays. We mostly play here at the church, but we have played at other venues. We did a massive event last year, Last Night of the Proms, at Tea and Niceties. We’ve played at the school, the Vonda Youngman Centre… We do try to fit in with community events as well.
What instruments does the orchestra contain?
SANNE: We have everything! Tuba, saxophones, flutes, percussion, strings, clarinets… We’re open to any instrument, and we will transpose parts if need be.
Is the focus of the orchestra more on having fun, or do you take things in a more professional direction?
SANNE: We definitely strive to put on good concerts. It needs to be good music and we need to play it well enough. But we won’t be playing major Tchaikovsky piece because we couldn’t play that to a reasonable standard. The pieces we play, we play them well. It’s absolutely a fun thing, it’s a community thing, we have an afterparty so it’s definitely a social thing.
What kind of music do you perform?
SANNE: We try to have a theme for every concert. We’ll have a more popular music, movie music, and even video game music, then we will probably have a more classical music with Last Night of the Proms. We try to mix it up.
What’s your opinion on the Tamborine Mountain area and community?
TRICIA: In my opinion, it wasn’t a random choice. The house prices were reasonable in comparison to Hope Island or even Coomera now. It was a more attractive environment to live in because all of the houses are different. More land per block. Also, the schools are absolutely fabulous. You can go weeks without ever needing to go to the Gold Coast. We’ve got everything we need up here. And it’s cooler!
SANNE: I think for a lot of people, the cool is a big draw. I’m a GP, so for me working in a local community, knowing the people, it’s a completely different way of working. It’s absolutely lovely to work in a small community. I wanted a place where I can make music, where I can have five acres with avocadoes and chickens and bees. I do still play with professional orchestras in Brisbane, and it’s only an hour’s drive. You have the benefits of the rural living, the space and the community feel, but you’re close enough to cities to do the other stuff as well.
KOEN: I appreciate the fact that we have a large amount of land available. It’s hard to find that in a lot of places off the mountain. I love being able to exercise by just walking to school every day or riding my bike around. The school has been really accommodating, too.
What do you think the orchestra really provides to the area?
TRICIA: Affordable entertainment, affordable music, a learning environment and also it’s an afternoon out. If you look at the community up here, a lot of them are elderly, so they rely very much on the local community to provide their social outlet and make friends! It’s an opportunity to make friends with a like mind.
What do you enjoy most about being a part of the orchestra?
TRICIA: The family environment, I think, and the opportunity to meet with people who think exactly like we do.
SANNE: I love making music more than anything. I love the social experience, but for me it’s about the music.
KOEN: I really enjoy the opportunity to make music at a higher level than the school band.
We are always looking for new topics for our blog. If there’s something you like to see more of, email your suggestions to: social@professionalsserendipity.com.au, or email the writer at kyle.hitchmough@hotmail.com
