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Six years after he played his first tentative note on a trombone, 17-year-old Connor Gentry has been selected for the NZ Youth Jazz Orchestra.
The Year 13 Whangaparaoa College student was inspired to take up trombone after a brass specialist music teacher, Joshua McKay, did a demonstration for Connor’s Year 8 class.
Connor says it took him a full term to play a note, as the “buzzing technique” for lips and breath, known as embouchure, took time to master.
At the same time, he was learning from the school’s Head of Music, Andy Ward, to read music.
“I’d never played an instrument before, so there was a lot to learn,” Connor says.
Since then, the Gulf Harbour resident has played trombone in many of the college’s bands, including the brass ensemble, concert band and jazz band. He quickly discovered that jazz was the style for him.
He was invited to play in the honours Big Band at the Wellington Jazz Summer school, under the directorship of Rodger Fox as well as in the KBB Honours Big Band, as part of the KBB music festival in Auckland.
This experience helped to grow Connor’s confidence on stage.
“It’s easier to play an instrument than it is to, say, do a speech as people are focused on the music,” he says.
At the start of the year, he set himself a goal of getting into the NZ Youth Jazz Orchestra, which is directed by Rodger Fox and Dave Lisik.
Competition for places is fierce with young musicians, including university students, applying for the orchestra from all around the country. Connor found out, early in November, that he had become one of the orchestra’s four trombone players.
The orchestra tours the country in January and rehearses and performs throughout the year.
Connor received this year’s prize for overall contribution to music at Whangaparaoa College. He hopes to study jazz at Victoria University and pursue a career as a professional trombonist.
