A Rising Star of the Burdekin Cecilia Cason Honoured with Junior Cultural Award

By Chelsea Ravizza

Cecillia Cason’s lifelong dedication to music and the performing arts was proudly recognised at the Burdekin Shire Council’s 2025 Australia Day Awards Ceremony, where she was presented with the Junior Cultural Award.

Cecillia first discovered her passion for the arts when she was in Year 2, and ever since, she has continued to flourish in each cultural endeavour she chooses to peruse, shaping a remarkable journey filled with discipline, talent and community support.

Over the years, Cecillia has developed an extraordinary breadth of musical skill, learning to play an impressive range of instruments including the recorder, violin, tambourine, tenor horn, French horn, trumpet, cornet, flugel horn, baritone, flute, clarinet and alto saxophone, along with some violin. However, it has been through her long-standing involvement with the Burdekin Brass Band that her talents have truly flourished.

“In a band, there are so many different types of players from all different backgrounds and playing abilities,” Cecillia said.

“Hearing everyone’s sounds and styles allowed me to copy different aspects of their playing and apply it to my own.”

Cecillia joined the Burdekin Brass Band in Year 4 and credits the guidance of her fellow band members and teachers for helping her discover a deep love for music.

“Learning in the Burdekin Brass Band’s learner classes was really fun,” she explained. “We split our time between playing and theory work, and we’d have small pieces and exercises to practise each week. Those little challenges and the satisfaction of learning a new piece really sucked me in - that’s when I found my passion for music.”

Now a proud member of the Burdekin Brass Band for around nine years, Cecillia has also expanded her experience by joining the Thuringowa Brass Band in 2022 and the Townsville Brass Band in 2024.

Throughout her musical journey, Cecillia has competed in numerous eisteddfods across the Burdekin, Charters Towers and Townsville, collecting a vibrant list of accolades along the way. Among her most notable achievements was being awarded First Place in the Junior Tenor Horn Division at the Australian National Band Championships, earning her a national title.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who supported me for this award,” Cecillia said.

“I’m truly happy that my dedication to what I love has been recognised.”

In addition to competitions, Cecillia has performed extensively across the region, including live performances with the Burdekin Brass Band, school events as both an instrumentalist and vocalist, and productions with the Burdekin Singers, including Shrek, The Little Mermaid and the Burdekin Singers’ 100th anniversary performance.

Her talent has also seen her selected for numerous prestigious programs, including the State Honour Ensemble Programme in Cairns and Townsville, the Queensland Honour Ensemble Programme in Brisbane, and in 2025, the Australian Honour Ensemble Programme, where she performed on French horn. In 2024, Cecillia was also selected to represent Queensland internationally through the Pacific Honours Ensemble Programme, performing with an orchestra in Seattle.

Looking ahead, Cecillia is preparing to move to Brisbane to pursue a Bachelor of Music at the Griffith Conservatorium, with hopes of further refining her musicianship and taking the next step in her chosen career. She will also compete at the upcoming Australian National Band Championships in multiple solo divisions, as well as in the band section with Thuringowa Brass Band.

Congratulations Cecillia!

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Cecillia Cason was awarded the Junior Cultural Award at the BurdekinShire Council’s 2025 Australia Day Awards Ceremony. Photo credit:Melanie Napier Photography

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