Advent Brass: 100 Year Celebration Charity Concert Set For Next Month
The performance is on Sunday 14 September at 5pm.
By: Stephi Wild Aug. 22, 2025
For one night only Melbourne's Advent Brass Band invites music-lovers to come and celebrate a century of wonderful memories at their Celebration Charity Concert - a powerful, feel-good musical journey through time, live at Hamer Hall.
In a sensational cross-generational showcase, legendary jazz virtuoso James Morrison joins the band, accompanied by centenarian Romney King on Grand Piano. With vocalists Helena McKee, Walter Saluni and Tim Jaques bringing a range of unforgettable hits to life audience members can expect rich brass harmonies, high-energy swing and jazz, classical and gospel highlights, Christmas favourites and other timeless classics. Adding to the remarkable lineup on the day, Reynold W.B. Gilson OAM will conduct the band - honouring of three generations of Gilson family leadership and marking a century of dedication to music and community.
“The Advent Brass Band has now reached 100 years of age so what better way to celebrate this than to have a charity 100-year performance?” explains bandmaster Reynold Gilson.
“As a band, we support many charities and fundraising events - most of our concerts are for charity events and all the proceeds from this celebration will go directly to ADRA (www.adra.org.au). The difference with this performance is that we have Australian brass legend James Morrison as our guest artist and we're putting together a program that caters to all ages. The concert will also feature rare archival footage, historic interviews, and photos throughout the evening of the past 100 years of Advent Brass. It's going to be a really special, one-off event.”
Featuring a 50-strong brass band, comprised of the Advent Brass Band and the Advent Youth Band, the youngest member to be on stage for the evening is only 9 years old.
In stark contrast to that, Pianist Romney King celebrates his 100th birthday this year, making history with this concert by becoming the oldest person to ever perform live on the Hamer Hall stage. Creating music for nearly nine decades, he has inspired generations of musicians with his remarkable musical knowledge, wartime service as a signalman, and lifelong commitment to community music. Celebrating 100 years alongside the band, Romney King has been the concert pianist for Advent Brass for more than 80 years.
A fast-paced performance spanning multiple genres and generations, the 100 Year Celebration Charity Concert is designed to entertain, inspire, and honour an extraordinary musical heritage.
With fan favourites like Singin' in the Rain, I Got Rhythm and All You Need Is Love in the mix and running for one night only at Melbourne's iconic Hamer Hall, this incredible event is the perfect way to spend a Sunday. Not to be missed!
The Advent Brass Band was formed in 1925 and for the past 100 years has served churches, schools, and the community, assisting with a variety of programs, concerts and marching parades. The band is highly regarded and has also won multiple awards at the Australian National Band Championships.
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