Entertainment
25 March, 2024
Prestigious gig for musician
AMONG hundreds of applications and auditions from across the country, 23-year-old prodigious trombonist from Mt Sheridan Jordan Mattinson has been selected as one of 13 musicians accepted into the prestigious Sydney Symphonic Orchestra’s annual fellowship program.
During the year-long fellowship, Mr Mattinson will have the opportunity to receive masterclasses from globally renowned artists and mentorship from Sydney Symphony’s musicians, perform at the Sydney Opera House in an array of chamber and orchestral performances and more.
“When I got the email saying I had been selected it was a ‘pinch me’ moment for me,” Mr Mattinson said.
“From then on there was a lot of mental preparation because the Sydney Symphonic Orchestra is considered the flagship orchestra of Australia – you’re working with world-class musicians all around you and I like to believe that I’m quite young for what I’m doing and being surrounded by so much talent and experience is nerve-racking.
“Walking into work and having a session with a world-renowned conductor like Simone Young is just huge and it’s something I love doing, a job I want for the rest of my life.”
Having his first encounter with music in primary school, Mr Mattinson would find his real passion for music after discovering the trombone at age 14 in high school. “I started learning music in primary school but didn’t pick up the trombone until I was in year 9 at St Mary’s Catholic College and that’s where music turned into something I enjoyed doing not something my parents told me to do,” he said. “After that I joined St Mary’s band and Cairns Brass in 2015. I stayed with Cairns Brass until I finished high school in 2018 and I went to the Sydney Conservatorium in 2019.
“In 2022 I got accepted into the National Academy of Music in Melbourne and with their support and preparation I got the position of trombone fellow at 2024 Sydney Symphonic Orchestra fellowship.
“I love playing trombone because I love being the backbone of the orchestra, I love playing in a section whether that is in a brass quintet or as a low brass section at the back of the orchestra, I love providing that backbone.”
Mr Mattinson encouraged more local musicians to take a chance on a path to the biggest orchestras in Australia.
“I don’t know many people in Cairns who have done what I’ve done,” he said.
“But I hope that seeing someone like me do it, it can inspire you to think that you can do it too.”
