Nottingham Concert Band Play Day 2009

12 May 2009

Some 60 musicians assembled in Wollaton, near Nottingham in the UK, on 25 April to take part in NCB Play Day 2009, a special event staged by Nottingham Concert Band (Robert Parker) for its members and invited guest players.

A combination of full band rehearsals and sectionals under specialist tutors ran all Saturday in Kingswood Methodist Church, culminating in an informal performance to which band friends, family and the local community were welcomed. Indicative of the enthusiastic response from those taking part in the event was a feedback form completed by one of the participants, which read simply "Let’s do it every week!’

Robert Parker, NCB's conductor, himself a professional horn player and teacher, ran the sessions with the horn and saxophone sections. Working alongside Robert were local professional musicians Chris McDouall (clarinets/bassoons), Annette Negus (flutes/oboes), Colin Smith (brass) and Ashley Parnell (percussion).

"Having a full day of concentrated rehearsing and performing meant we could really get to grips with some challenging additions to our repertoire," Robert Parker told the Concert Band Portal. New pieces which were introduced to the players on the day included Albion Heritage (Sparke), O Magnum Mysterium (Lauridsen), Opening Night On Broadway (Brown) and Summon the Dragon (Graham), together with Windfall (Holcombe) for woodwind choir and Ceremonial Fanfare (de Meij) for brass and percussion.

The participants were delighted with the facilities offered by Kingswood Methodist Church and hope to return for a similar event in the future. The band is grateful for the support of Nottingham City Council Community and Cultural Board in contributing towards the venue hire.