Coventry Weekend for ISB

The Coventry Methodist Central Hall was the venue for the second International Staff Band festival of the fall season, beginning a series of performances in Coventry on the weekend of 30-31 October, 2004. In addition to the festival, held on Saturday evening, the Staff Band also participated in Sunday morning worship and offered another festival on Sunday afternoon.

Bandmaster Stephen Cobb began the Saturday evening festival with the march Montclair Citadel (Stephen Bulla), followed by something of a rarity, a solo played by a member of the "back row" of the cornet section, Martin Bryant, who performed Crugybar. The program contained a strong mixture both current and classic Salvation Army compositions, the current represented by items such as Glorifico Aeturnum (Dean Jones) and Heart Beat (Leonard Ballantine) and the classic by one of the masterpieces of Salvation Army brass band literature, Dean Goffin's My Strength, My Tower. In addition to Martin Bryant, several other soloists also contributed, including Derick Kane (euphonium), Andrew Justice (trombone), Kevin Ashman (cornet), and Gary Rose (vocal).

On Sunday, the band led the morning worship under the leadership of their new Executive Officer, Major John Wainwright and his wife, Dorita. The trip to Coventry represented the Wainwrights' first away weekend with the ISB.

On Sunday afternoon, the Staff Band again presented a festival program, opening with a new work, Trinity, from the pen of one of the newer Salvation Army composing talents, Lorne Barry. The selections were again a mixture of the old and the new. The music of Edward Gregson was featured with two selections, Variations on "Laudate Dominum" and the march Dalarö. These were contrasted with a new work from the Canadian Salvationist composer Leonard Ballantine, Covenant Worship. Soloists in the afternoon included Matthew Cobb (cornet), who played Jubilance (William Himes) and tenor horn soloist Jonathan Miller, who performed the final of Richard Strauss' Horn Concerto No. 1. The festival concluded with a concert march, Glory, Glory (Wilfred Heaton).

Source:
International Staff Band

Posted by Webmaster 27 December 2004 06:17:48