About us

About the BCPO

The members of the Brisbane City Pops Orchestra (BCPO) were very proud to have celebrated our 50^th anniversary in 2023!

It was an amazing milestone for a community orchestra to reach, and it all began in 1973 when the St Lucia Orchestra (since renamed), consisting of a small group of string players, began rehearsing. Over the years this group has grown and evolved into an orchestra of over 50 players, comprising strings, woodwind, brass and percussion sections.

The orchestra has had a long list of talented conductors over the years, with the most influential being the amazing Ron Hanmer, who for 18 years arranged our music, organised all the programs and compered every concert! Ron penned over 300 unique arrangements for the BCPO, and of course he was the composer of “Pastorale” which became the theme of the longest running radio soapy, ‘Blue Hills. Ron set us on our musical path as one of Brisbane’s most popular community orchestras, performing a wide variety of entertaining light music. Since then, the influence of many other talented conductors means the BCPO repertoire in always expanding in exciting new directions. 

Our concerts, which number about 8 per year, have always featured fantastic guest artists, both singers and instrumentalists, and we have often showcased young emerging talent, who have often gone on to create highly successful careers.

Over the past 51 years the BCPO has travelled far and wide, performing in many venues. Some of the most memorable being City Hall, Festival Hall, Qld Cultural Centre Auditorium, Concert Hall (QPAC), Twin Towns, Kedron-Wavell Services Club, Redcliffe Entertainment Centre, Mt Mee, Stanthorpe, Maleny, Ipswich and Schonell Theatre.

The BCPO is a unique group of people of varying ages and professions. It includes a mixture of both practicing and retired professional players, enthusiastic music students and serious amateurs, who all share a deep passion for making music together, as well as a love for spreading joy and happiness in performing for our audiences

Brisbane City Pops Orchestra

Conductors
Neil  Flottmann
Andrew Robinson
Chen Yang 

^# denotes Concertmaster
* Principal player