Charity Concert for Braeside Social Home

On Friday, 22 May 2009, the Solent Area Fellowship Band (Bandmaster Chris Kennett) joined with the New Music Makers Choir (Musical Director Mariane Temperley) for a charity concert at Portsmouth Citadel. Proceeds from the event were donated to the Salvation Army’s Braeside Social Home in Zimbabwe.

The Braeside Social Home was established after the Salvation Army identified the suffering of older people, some sleeping under bridges or on the streets. In conjunction with the Good Neighbours Scheme at Portsmouth Citadel Corps, the concert raised funds to establish a chicken farm at Braeside. The farm will be used both to reduce grocery costs and to provide an income stream for the Home.

Bandmaster Kennett commenced the proceedings, leading the Fellowship Band in the march Spirit of Joy (Herbert Rive). Major Cedric Hills, commanding officer of Portsmouth Citadel, welcomed the band and congregation to the concert, and offered an invocation following a congregational song.

The New Music Makers Choir had the first part of the program. Items included One (Hamlisch/Kleban, arr. Anita Kerr), Ride the Chariot (arr. William Henry Smith), Grace (arr. Mark Hayes) and a medley from “Les Miserables” (Schonberg/Kretzmer, arr. Ed Lojeski).

The band featured their principal tenor horn, Callam Carter, who played Derek Jordan’s arrangement of the Rondo from Mozart’s 4th Horn Concerto. After the band played Whiter Than the Snow (William Himes), Major Wills made a presentation and appeal on behalf of the Braeside Social Home. The band continued with People Need the Lord (trans. Howard Davies) and the tone poem Faith Reborn (Leslie Condon), completing the first half of the program.

After a brief interval, the band started the second half with Barrie Gott’s festival arrangement Let There Be Praise. The choir then performed their second set, which included Can Can (Jacques Offenbach, arr. Julie Eschliman). The Lord Is My Shepherd (Howard Goodall), Alexander’s Ragtime Band (Irving Berlin, arr. Kilby Shaw), a medley from “Guys and Dolls” (Frank Loesser, arr. Mac Huff) and Jesus Christ Superstar (Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber, arr. Neil Slater).

Items from the band in the second half included the song setting ’Mid All the Traffic (Leonard Ballantine) and the suite Shout Salvation (Robert Redhead). Major Hills thanks the guests and congregation for their attendance, and read some verses of Scripture, following which he announced that over £1,000 had been raised by the event. The band concluded the evening with the march Assignment (Dudley Bright).