BCB made the long trip to Scotland for what was sure to be a fantastic weekend in Bellshill. Major Mandy White and BCB Percussionist Callum White prepared sausage and bacon rolls for the band as they boarded the coach to make the trip up the motorway. There was a real sense of excitement as the band left Birmingham and this positivity summed up what was a fantastic weekend with the fantastic people of Bellshill.
The sun was shining on Scotland as we crossed the border and the band was warmly greeted with a full hall for the Saturday evening concert. There were four of the band’s soloists featured during the evening with Neil Blessett (Tenor Horn) playing “You Love Me” and three new solos in Mark Sharman (trombone) playing Peter Graham’s “Fiesta”, David Taylor (Euphonium) playing “Locomotion” and Robert Hayward (Marimba) playing Goff Richards’ latin jazz number “Zimba Zamba”. The two major works for the evening were Gregson’s “Laudate Dominum (Revised)” and a first playing for the band of Steven Ponsford’s “The Day of the Lord”.
“The Choice”
Programme
Make His Praise Glorious (arr. William Gordon)
Horn Solo: You Love Me (Paul Sharman) – Soloist: Neil Blessett
Skydance (Martin Cordner)
Trombone Solo: Fiesta (Peter Graham) Soloist: Mark Sharman
Vox Dilecti (Downie)
Variations on Laudate Dominum (Edward Gregson)
Everybody Praise His Holy Name (arr. Nik King)
Congregational Song: Crown Him with Many Crowns
Euphonium Solo: Locomotion (Norman Bearcroft) Soloist: David Taylor
Jubilo Jubilo (Martin Cordner)
Marimba Solo: Zimba Zamba (Goff Richards) Soloist: Robert Hayward
Everlasting Hope (Paul Sharman)
THOUGHT – “The Choice”
The Day of the Lord (Steven Ponsford)
BENEDICTION
The Liberator (George Marshall)
“The Call”
The Sunday services were led by Major Steve White (Birmingham Citadel) and he chose to focus our thinking on three things: The Choice (Saturday pm), The Call (Sunday am) and The Command (Sunday pm). His words were of challenge to everyone gathered and the band
added to this special ministry through the playing of Olaf Ritman’s recent arrangement of Ivor Bosanko’s choral work “To Thy Cross I Come, Lord”. BCB also featured “I’ll Follow Thee” (Richard Phillips) and Eric Ball’s classic “Meditation on a Theme “Spohr”.
“The Command”
The Sunday afternoon concert started with Barrie Gott’s energetic “Let there be Praise” before the band premiered a new work for brass band by Midlands-based young composer Samuel Shelley. Sam has chosen a beautiful melody in “Bow the Knee”. The band featured further solos from Edward Dixon (Tuba) with the humorous “Bare Necessities” and a first solo with the band for Solo Cornet player Matthew Frost. He chose to play a piece written to show of the virtuoso playing of LSO principal trumpet star Philip Cobb and Matthew did a fabulous job on “Flourish”!
The band’s playing of Ray Steadman-Allen’s “In Quiet Pastures” led beautifully into Major Steve White’s thought before they finished with a modern day classic in Peter Graham’s “Shine as the Light”. Peter’s mum and dad were present over the weekend as Bellshill is not too far from where Peter grew up in Ayr. This music has been ‘rested’ in recent years by bands but BCB has really enjoyed playing this music again for the first time in some 10 or 15 years! It is such exciting music and it seemed to round of a fabulous weekend perfectly!
Programme
Let there be Praise (arr. Barrie Gott)
Bow the Knee (Samuel Shelley)
PRAYER
Let Everything Praise (Martin Cordner)
Tuba Solo: Bare Necessities (Leigh Baker) Soloist: Edward Dixon
Trumpet Solo: Flourish (Paul Sharman) Soloist: Matthew Frost
Faith is the Victory (Sam Creamer)
In Quiet Pastures (Ray Steadman-Allen)
MESSAGE – “The Command”
Shine as the Light (Peter Graham)
BENEDICTION
The King’s Highway (Erik Leidzen)
