Motown & Beyond at The Sydney University Alumni Festival 2024

Motown & Beyond is a dynamic ensemble led by bassist John Gilmovich, a soul music aficionado who honed his craft at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. With a deep passion for classic soul, funk, and R&B, John brings together a powerhouse band featuring four talented alumni from prestigious music institutions.

The band goes ‘beyond’ the iconic Motown sound, delivering soulful tunes and high-energy performances of hits from the ‘60s and ‘70s , as well as contemporary pop classics. Their performances are designed to get you dancing and tapping your feet!

Joining John are conservatorium alum Fiona Loader (M.Mus.Stud.(Comp.) ‘17) and saxophonist Ian Howard who studied at both the Sydney and Melbourne Conservatoriums. Jess Ciampa began his musical life as a trumpet player but changed to percussion halfway through a Bachelor of Music Education degree at the NSW Conservatorium. He is a multi-instrumentalist at home in a variety of styles of music, ranging from mainstream orchestral through jazz, Latin, and commercial. He has performed with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, Synergy Percussion, the Seymour Group, and the Sydney Dance Company and was also percussionist for The Lion King stage show. Each member has carved out their own successful career in music, spanning composition, performance, teaching, and recording on both national and international stages.

Set playing times:

1994 Graduates Reunion show: 2:15 – 3:30 pm
Front Stage end of day performance: 5:00 – 5:45 pm