St Peter’s Church in Brackley was alive with the sound of music on Sunday 13th July, where the band performed our summer concert.

Our audience were treated to a varied program, and received as “such a great way to spend an afternoon”!

We began with James Curnow’s rousing Fanfare and Flourishes, followed by Jan van der Roost’s Canterbury Chorale before our first full performance of the Finals Test Piece – Partita by Edward Gregson. The concert provided an invaluable opportunity to perform this demanding work as we continue our preparations to compete in the Finals this September.

After the excitement of Partita, Liz Lane’s wonderful Serenata (a work celebrating the life of Yvonne Hamblin, a treasured member of Lydbrook Band with whom she had been associated for over 60 years) provided a moment of calm and reflection before moving onto a 'The Sound of Music' themed portion of the programme, concluding the first half with Philip Harper’s climatic arrangement of Climb Every Mountain.

The second half began with a musical tour of the country with Vaughan Williams’ March: Folk Songs from Somerset. A brief detour featured our fantastic trombone section in I Will Follow Him before resuming in Wales with Men of Harlech. Off to Ireland next with a performance of Irish Tune from County Derry, perhaps better known as Londonderry Air dedicated to Peter Bossano who sadly passed away earlier this year. Our tour concluded in Scotland with Highland Cathedral.

With Proms season almost upon us, we ended the concert with our own mini “Last Night of the Proms”, featuring Jerusalem, Rule Britannia, Nimrod and of course The Dam Busters March.

The band thoroughly enjoyed playing to such a full and appreciative audience, and would like to thank St Peter’s for the hosting us in this wonderful church, and providing the much needed refreshments on sFiuch a warm afternoon. 

The band is now focusing on preparations for the National Finals in September, and also looking forward to returning to St Peter’s on 28th September, joined by the current Midlands Regional Champions, The Gus Band. We look forward to seeing you there! Tickets available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/brackley-district-band or by contacting Jacky on 07970 583342.

Competing in the Finals is an expensive endeavour – with travel, equipment, rehearsal venues and accommodation costs. If you’d like to help us, you can donate either via our Crowdfunding site www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/national-brass-band-championship-finals or using the QR code below.