NBSC: Manly Campus

04/09/2026

Yesterday, our Seastock fundraiser was a fantastic celebration of student talent, leadership and school spirit!

Led by our Student Representative Council (SRC), Seastock brought together talented performers from across the school, who took to the stage to entertain the school community with an incredible range of musical performances. Alongside the music, our SRC organised a whole host of activities to get everyone involved, including crafts, games, volleyball, basketball, a BBQ and a bake sale, all helping to raise funds for Stewart House.

A particularly special moment was seeing our G26 students take to the Seastock stage for their final event. What a wonderful way to celebrate their years of music-making, performance and contribution to our school community. 💙🎶

Although, the real highlight of the day may have been Mr Dendle and Mr Dahal, who completely stole the show with their show-stopping performance! 🎸🤘

A huge congratulations to all of the students who performed, and a special thank you to our SRC for their leadership, organisation and commitment to making the event such a success. We are so proud to see our students creating opportunities for their peers while giving back to our school community.

🌊 Seastock 2026 — making waves through music, leadership and community!

31/08/2026

✨ What a massive weekend for our Manly Campus dance troupes! ✨

Our dancers had an incredible weekend, taking to the stage at two eisteddfods and finishing off their competition season in the best possible way! 💃🕺🏆

At Dance Life Unite, our troupes achieved some fantastic results:
🥈 2nd – Junior Lyrical
🥈 2nd – Junior Jazz
🥉 3rd – Senior Lyrical
🥉 3rd – Senior Jazz

The Hills Spectacular had very large sections and our troupes all performed beautifully:
🥈 2nd – Junior Lyrical

We couldn’t be prouder of every single one of our dancers! ❤️ The growth, dedication, teamwork and confidence they have shown throughout the year has been incredible to watch.

What a way to wrap up the competition season!

🌟 A huge congratulations to all of our dancers and a massive thank you to Ms Charly, Ms Brown and our supportive families who have been behind them every step of the way.

We are SO proud of how far our dancers have come this year! 💕✨

24/08/2026

Bands of Manly at ASBOF

What a weekend for our Bands of Manly, with all eight of our ensembles taking to the stage at ASBOF!

Our students represented Manly Campus with incredible commitment, musicianship and enthusiasm, with months of rehearsals and plenty of early morning starts leading up to the competition. It was fantastic to see their hard work come together on stage.

🏆 Gold Awards
Symphonic Wind Orchestra
Stage Band
Wind Ensemble
Jazz Orchestra

🥈 Silver Awards
String Ensemble
Chamber Orchestra
Concert Band
Big Band

A special mention to Daisy, whose performance with Jazz Orchestra on flugelhorn was recognised by the adjudicator during the appraisal. He described it as the best performance of the day, highlighting the emotion and musicality of her playing and sharing that her performance moved him to the point of bringing a tear to his eye. What a wonderful recognition of Daisy’s musicianship and the impact of her performance.

A huge thank you to our conductors Brad Lucas, Craig Driscoll, James Power and Charlotte Fetherston for their expertise, guidance and dedication throughout the year, and to our staff, families and supporters who continue to make our music program possible.

Most importantly, congratulations to all of our students for the way they represented our school. We are incredibly proud of you! 🎶💙

24/08/2026

21/08/2026

🎵 Conductor Spotlight: Craig Driscoll & James Power

Today we’re shining the spotlight on our Jazz Duo, Craig Driscoll and James Power, who bring a wealth of experience, expertise and passion to our Bands of Manly jazz ensembles.

Craig Driscoll has been part of our jazz program for more than two decades, making a lasting contribution to the development of jazz at Manly. An accomplished professional musician, Craig performs on saxophone, clarinet and flute and has an extensive career across orchestral, jazz and musical theatre performance. Most recently, Craig performed in the orchestra pit for Anastasia this year, continuing his professional work alongside his commitment to our students.

When asked to describe Craig, our students chose three words: talented, passionate and dedicated — qualities that are certainly evident in the way he works with our ensembles and supports our musicians.

James Power is a new addition to the Bands of Manly team this year, taking on the Stage Band and Big Band. James is also a Bands of Manly alumnus, having once sat in the very same rehearsal seats as our students today. It’s fantastic to now have him back as a conductor, bringing his experience as a professional trumpeter, musician and conductor to inspire and support the next generation of Bands of Manly musicians.

Alongside his work with Bands of Manly, James performs with professional jazz ensembles and works with community and school jazz programs across Sydney.

Thank you, Craig and James, for all your hard work in preparing our jazz ensembles for their ASBOF performances this Sunday! We can’t wait to see our Jazz Orchestra, Big Band and Stage Band take the stage! 🎶

21/08/2026

Next Principal Tour - Tuesday 25 August at 9:30am

20/08/2026

🎵 Conductor Spotlight: Charlotte Fetherston

As we continue our countdown to ASBOF, today we’re shining the spotlight on Charlotte Fetherston, our String Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra conductor, who is new to the Bands of Manly team this year.

Charlotte is an accomplished violist, musician and educator, with an impressive career in Australia and internationally. She has performed with the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and performs regularly with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. She completed her Doctorate of Musical Arts at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, where she also works as an educator.

Alongside her professional performance career, Charlotte is passionate about music education and sharing her experience with the next generation of musicians. It has been fantastic to welcome her to Bands of Manly this year and see her work with our string students.

Thank you, Charlotte, for your dedication, expertise and all the hard work you have put into preparing our String Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra for their ASBOF performances this Sunday! 🎶

19/08/2026

🎵 Conductor Spotlight: Brad Lucas

The countdown is on to ASBOF, where our eight Bands of Manly ensembles will take the stage this Sunday! Over the coming days, we’ll be shining a spotlight on the talented conductors who work with our bands and help our students bring their best to the stage.

First up is Brad Lucas, who has been an integral part of our Wind Bands program, working with our Concert Band, Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Wind Orchestra.

Brad is the Lecturer and Coordinator of Brass at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and also works with the NSW Department of Education Arts Unit, where he conducts the NSW Public Schools Symphonic Wind Ensemble and works with ensembles at State Music Camps. He is also Musical Director of the Ku-ring-gai Youth Orchestra.

As a highly accomplished euphonium player, conductor and educator, Brad brings an incredible depth of professional experience, musical knowledge and enthusiasm to his work with our students.

Our students describe Brad as “encouraging, passionate and inspiring”, and often comment on how fortunate they are to learn from and perform under his guidance. His ability to challenge our musicians while creating a positive and supportive rehearsal environment makes him a valued part of our Bands of Manly community.

We’re looking forward to seeing Brad alongside our three Wind Ensembles take the stage at ASBOF this Sunday. Bring on the music! 🎶✨

19/08/2026

Manly Campus Dance Troupes Shine at The Ultimate Dance Competition

Our Manly Campus Dance Troupes had a fantastic day at The Ultimate Dance Competition last Sunday, with students showcasing their hard work, growth and dedication across a range of styles.

Congratulations to our dancers on their fantastic results:

🥈 Junior Lyrical – 2nd Place
🥉 Junior Jazz – 3rd Place
🏆 Open Lyrical – 1st Place
⭐ Open Contemporary – Highly Commended
🥉 Open Jazz – 3rd Place

It was wonderful to see the improvements in each troupe since their last competition, with students stepping onto the stage with energy, confidence and big smiles. Their commitment and hard work in rehearsals has been clear, and it was fantastic to see their growth on stage.

Well done to all of our dancers and thank you to our fantastic Dance Teacher Ms Charly for a fantastic day of competition! 💙💃