Will Upson

Will Upson is a pianist and composer, who performed with several well known jazz and big bands in Western Australia.

Upson's family immigrated to Australia from the United Kingdom in 1949 and settled in Hobart. He commenced piano lessons at age 7 while living in Hobart.

The family moved to Brisbane in 1953, then to Perth in 1954. Upson continued his music studies and was awarded his diploma of Associate in Music.

Upson's professional music career commenced at age 16 playing in The Traditionalists, later renamed to Westlanders, a dixieland jazz band. He later formed his own band, The Willie Upson Jazz Quartet, before travelling extensively and playing in a big band in London.

In 1969 Upson returned to Perth and formed the band Willpower in which he worked on his arranging skills. He played piano at the Parmelia Hilton for three years, then became the musical director at the TVW Seven television station in 1973 until taking up the same position with the STW Nine station in 1978 where he worked until 1987.

During his time working in the television industry Upson continued to pursue his own musical projects, including founding the Will Upson Big Band in 1973 with whom he recorded three albums, including Will Upson Big Band: Live at Pinocchio's, with Festival Records in 1975.

The company Will Upson Productions was formed in 1975. It owned and operated Perth's major recording studio where most of the music used in television was produced for the next decade.

The Will Upson Big Band provided music at the opening ceremony of the 1980 World Professional Ballroom Dancing Championships, held in the Perth Entertainment Centre.

Moving to Albany in 1987 he formed the Albany Sinfonia and the Rainbow Coast Big Band which have continued to perform to this day. He also taught music and was appointed band-master at a local school, Great Southern Grammar.

Upson was awarded the Citizen of the Year on Australia Day in 1997 and the Medal of the Order of Australia in the Queens birthdays honours list in 1998.