Roland has been praised by his peers with four life memberships.

Australian Band and Orchestra Directors Association – National

aMuse – the Association of Music Educators (Vic)

Association of Directors of Music in Independent School in Victoria, and

The Grainger Wind Symphony.

His specialty in music performance is as a wind band conductor using the Saito Conducting Method. His most significant conducting teachers are Yoshinao Osawa (Japan), Wayne Toews (Canada) and the late Robert Rosen (Melbourne). His mentor was the late George Logie-Smith OBE.

He has completed regular professional development in conducting participating in workshops and classes with a variety of maestri including Paul Vermel (IL), Murrary Sidlin (CT), J. Marion Magill (NY), H.R. Reynolds (MI), Donald Portnoy (SC), late Frederick Fennell, Claude Roller, Donald Hunsberger and Werner Andreas Albert (Q). One of two highlights were conducting the singers of the National Opera of China and a small orchestra in workshop performing excerpts from the Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute. The other was conducting Xian Conservatory Symphony Orchestra The Butterfly Lovers Concerto – a classical Chinese concerto with a Chinese violin soloist in China! Pity I can’t speak Chinese!

He has adjudicated and presented at conferences and festivals including aMuse (Victoria) Sounds Great, Maryborough Music Conference, Melbourne School Bands and Strings Festival, Bendigo Eisteddfod, WA Schools Concert Band Festival, Royal South Street Society Music Competitions, Australian National Band Championships and the Singapore Youth Festival Arts Presentations concert band competition.

He has been music director and principal conductor of The Grainger Wind Symphony, a community concert band of the highest standard, for most of years since the group was founded in 1986. The Queen Symphony by Kashif arr. Somers inspired by Freddie Mercury, and Catfish Row: a symphonic suite from Porgy and Bess by Gershwin arr. Hunsberger for wind ensemble and two vocalists are two exciting works performed recently. The group regularly performs Australian composers and often gives their premiere performances.

Born in Melbourne, Roland has completed a Master of Arts degree majoring in music education and conducting at Columbia University Teachers College (NY) and holds a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Melbourne.

photo: Roland Yeung conductor, The Grainger Wind Symphony, The Monash Chorale at the Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank Melbourne

Roland was Artistic Director of the Melbourne School Bands and Strings Festival, a statewide festival in Victoria Australia scheduled from 5 August 2012 at Monash University culminating in the Gala Concert on 25 August 2012 in the Robert Blackwood Hall. The Festival involved about 350 schools, 6000 students and nearly 400 concert bands, jazz ensembles and orchestras. Roland administered and trained assessors, compiled the prescribed lists for orchestra, concert band and jazz ensemble sections involving teams of directors in the selection process for the first time.

As National Vice-President of Australian National Band and Orchestra Directors Association he led a dynamic conference committee to develop a program for orchestra, concert bands, jazz ensemble directors at the 2010 Australian National Band and Orchestra Clinic. Unfortunately the event was cancelled.

From 1977 he was Music Director of the Melbourne Brass Choir, with Honorary Patron: The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.

He has conducted the Frankston Symphony Orchestra over four years in an assistant conductor role, and the Maroondah Symphony Orchestras as their music director for four years. He has been appointed music director of a number of music theatre productions with companies including Whitehorse Music Theatre, Malvern Music Theatre Company, Northern Theatre, Victorian Youth Theatre and Williamstown Light Opera. When teaching at Carey Baptist Grammar School he was music director of 13 broadway musicals that performed a season of 7 shows. He was also music director and founder of Melbourne University Opera for two years. the productions were mainly Broadway shows, Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

In music education, Roland has worked in both a government high school and a P-12 independent school. He retired as Director of Music at Carey Baptist Grammar School after 19 years where he led a team of 40 music teachers, taught VCE Music and conducted the Symphony Orchestra and the Symphonic Band. This followed 14 years as music co-ordinator at Blackburn High School where he taught classroom music and conducted the senior concert band. He worked part-time at Ballarat and Clarendon College as the conductor of the senior concert band, classroom music relief teacher at The King David School and Acting Director of Music at Penleigh Ladies College, Burwood, Melbourne.

Roland has worked at statewide level on music curriculum and assessment for the Victorian Curriculum Assessment Authority for over 25 years. This included part-time roles such as chief assessor VCE music solo performance, contract writer of the Music study design, State-wide Verification Chair for Music and member of the state-wide Arts Key Learning Area Committee and as a seconded Music Project Officer at VCAB full-time for three years. He is a regular speaker that the annual VCE Music Conference run by aMuse.

He is a freelance music tutor, music teacher, mentor, consultant, adjudicator, conducting teacher and conductor. He is enjoying giving time to individual music educators to help them develop their skills and knowledge. His particular interest in applying principals of the Saito Conducting Method to knowledge of bio-mechanics and exercise physiology to help conductors be freer, more flexible, have freedom from physical pain from conducting, build a more diversified range of conducting techniques and movements, all applied to particular music excerpts studied.

Recently he has been giving VCE masterclasses and workshops to senior music students, guest conducting school ensembles and guest speaking at music teacher conferences and staff meetings.

Over the COVID lockdown period he has established a studio to teach conducting face to face and over the internet. He commenced as guest conducting professor at Christ University in Bangalore, India in July 2021 connecting with the class over Zoom.

Awards click here