John Collinson, BMus(Hons) MTeach(Sec) A.Mus.A., has over thirty years of experience as a professional musician having played with many of Australia’s leading orchestras and arts organizations including Orchestra Victoria, the RAAF Central Band, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Tasmania Symphony Orchestra, Geelong Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Brass and Melbourne productions of Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera. John joined The Salvation Army Melbourne Staff Band (MSB) at age 17 and at age 20 was appointed principal cornet, they youngest person to ever hold that position. He played in the band for 13 years featuring as a soloist on tours of the UK, Switzerland, Canada and on a number of recordings. John has been deputy bandmaster of the MSB and bandmaster of The Salvation Army South Barwon and Geelong bands. John has also been involved with music education at secondary and tertiary levels as a brass teacher and conductor. He was for 10 years one of the directors of the Melbourne International Festival of Brass. In Geelong in 2010 he founded the Just Brass program which is now found around Australia and in parts of N.Z. and the U.K. John is currently Director of Music at Grovedale College in Geelong and founding musical director of Sparrow Park Brass.