The making of musicians

“The trombone is too sacred to be played without thought,” Leonard Bernstein once remarked. An instrument of power and nobility, it is equally capable of warmth, wit and lyricism. For generations of Grammar boys, no one revealed those possibilities more fully than Mr Will Farmer. Through his teaching, he shaped not only accomplished musicians but young men whose lives were enriched by music, earning the respect and affection of the Grammar community.

During more than three decades at Grammar, Farmer taught the vast majority of the School’s trombonists. His influence extended far beyond College Street. Indeed, most of the trombonists who have performed with Dr V’s Swing Thing during the past twenty-five years were taught by Farmer, a striking reflection of his contribution to Sydney’s musical life.

Education was always Farmer’s first calling. “My ambition from the age of fifteen was to become a music teacher,” he recalls. While still a student at the Tasmanian Conservatorium, he balanced teaching with an increasingly successful performing career. At twenty-two, he won an audition for the then Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra, launching a career that included more than four decades with Opera Australia. He performed under Sir Charles Mackerras and alongside artists such as Dame Joan Sutherland, Luciano Pavarotti, Rudolf Nureyev and Bryn Terfel. Yet he never lost sight of his belief that the foundations of musical life are laid in schools.

David Vallance (OS 2013) remembers the same spirit. “Like all great music teachers, he communicated a genuine love of his instrument,” he reflected. Lessons were enriched by stories, demonstrations and an obvious delight in music-making. Vallance particularly recalls Farmer’s delight when he began developing his upper register, a milestone his teacher celebrated almost as enthusiastically as the pupil himself.

A passionate advocate for classical music, Farmer played an important role in sustaining Grammar’s musical culture. Exceptionally knowledgeable, he brought a broad understanding of musical traditions, from Mozart and Wagnerian opera to ABBA and The Beatles, to every lesson, while encouraging curiosity rather than deference.

The achievements of his pupils reflect the quality of his teaching. Among the most distinguished were James Campbell (OS 1995), who later performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Kye Milne (OS 2018), who now leads the trombone section of Dr V’s Swing Thing. Yet Farmer derived no less satisfaction from helping a beginner gain confidence or perform successfully for the first time.

As he departs for Finland, leaving behind both the classrooms of College Street and the Opera House orchestra pit, Farmer leaves a legacy measured not only in performances and professional achievements, but in the generations of Grammar boys for whom music became a lifelong source of discipline, enjoyment and meaning.