Christmas is a busy time of year for any musician but the Salvation Army Band works particularly hard, and Birmingham Citadel Band is no exception!

 

“Carolling”, as it is affectionately known, starts in November and features the band in Birmingham City Centre every Saturday through to Christmas Eve playing Christmas music between 11am and 4pm.  In addition to this the band plays at the NEC for the Festive Gift Fair, at events for local schools, various functions for the Rotary Club and carol concerts for the Birmingham Children’s Hospital, to name but a few.  

 

In terms of concerts the band assists a Rotary Carol Concert which this year was on Sunday 7th December 2014.  The band featured music by Stephen Bulla as its “major work” and the large audience certainly seemed to appreciate “The Proclamation of Christmas”.

 

But the bands major concert of December is “Christmas with the Salvation Army” at Birmingham’s magnificent Symphony Hall.  The band, along with the other musical groups from Birmingham Citadel, put on a festive musical feast that delighted the large audiences for both the afternoon and evening performances.

 

The band contributed a new work by Paul Sharman entitled “The Christmas Presence” as well as a new transcription by Edward Mylechreest called “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”.  The band also played a latin jazz transcription of the “First Nowel” by BM Gavin Lamplough and the major work for the concert was Stephen Bulla’s “A Christmas Suite”.

 

Other music this advent season has included Morley Calvert’s “The Festive Season” and Kevin Norbury’s colourful arrangement of the French traditional carol “Il est ne”.

 

Birmingham Citadel Band would wish you all a very Happy and Blessed Christmas and a pray for a peaceful New Year.