About Us
The Hills Shire Symphony Orchestra is a not-for-profit community orchestra, founded in 2018. It is a community orchestra with the aim to bring classical music into the Hills Shire. 
The vision for the orchestra is:
1. To provide opportunities for residents of the Hills Shire to perform in a symphony orchestra.
2. To provide opportunities to attend and listen to live classical music in the Hills Shire.
3. To provide learning opportunities for aspiring orchestral musicians, conductors, composers and other musicians.
4. To enrich the cultural identity of the Hills Shire.
The Hills Shire is a rapidly growing area of Sydney. It has grown by over 10% since 2011 and is growing more rapidly than the national average. Recent developments and infrastructure (such as the Northwest Rail Link and booming suburbs such as Schofields and Rouse Hill) has resulted in one of the fastest developing areas of New South Wales.
The Hills Shire Symphony Orchestra is the first of its kind in the Hills Shire, and aims to lead the cultural boom of the area by providing engaging and exhilarating performances of classical music.
Chris Upton
Artistic Director / Chief Conductor
Chris Upton began his studies at the age of 8 in tenor trombone, commencing his piano studies at the age of 13. He graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2015 with a Bachelor of Music (Performance), studying under Sydney Symphony Orchestra trombonists Ronald Prussing and Scott Kinmont.
Whilst studying, Chris began his conducting studies under Dr John Lynch. He has since then participated in many conducting events, including the Melbourne Youth Orchestras Summer School under Max McBride, and the ABODA masterclass under Dr Tze Law Chan. He recently conducted the Woollahra Philharmonic Orchestra in February 2022, featuring Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto with soloist Paul Cheung.
Chris formed the Hills Shire Symphony Orchestra in 2017 after having travelled all over Sydney as a trombonist to play in orchestras and seeing the need for a local community orchestra in the Hills Shire. The orchestra has performed a number of significant works, including Beethoven’s Third, Fifth and Seventh Symphonies, the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with SSO violinist Alex Norton, and Holst’s magnificent Planets suite.
Chris is a passionate teacher, teaching Drama and English at Pacific Hills Christian School.