Govan at Brass in the Park

On Saturday, 5 September 2009, the Govan Citadel Band was privileged to be asked to take part in the Brass in the Park festival near Edinburgh. The event runs from Friday evening and concludes with “Brass of Praise” in the park on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, this year saw the worst weather ever for the event, with the park under several inches of water in places. The venue was quickly changed to the nearby Scottish Museum of Mining. There, 39 bands took part in various contests and concerts.

Govan is the first Salvation Army band to be asked to take part in this event and provided a short program before the results ceremony. The band played in a packed hall, with extra chairs having to be brought in and with people standing in the aisles and outside to listen. The program included Salvation Song, the cornet duet Quicksilver, Such Love, The Light of the World, the euphonium solo Traveling Along, and concluded with The Call of the Righteous. Special mention goes to the soloists: Alex Ramsay, Craig Kilgour and Wesley Stuart for their fine performances. Many of the contributions were greeted with loud cheering from the very knowledgeable audience, many with Salvation Army backgrounds.

This event also marked the last performance with the band, for some time, by Craig Kilgour, who is going to Manchester to study trumpet at the Royal Northern College of Music.