Bosombe Rotary Carol Concert

On 10 December 2009, a good crowd witnessed the annual Rotary Carol Concert featuring the Boscombe Band (Bandmaster Dr. Howard J. Evans). In addition to the band, the concert also featured the Boscombe Timbrels and the choir from Epiphany Church of England Primary School. The concert benefitted Help for Heroes, supporting those who have been wounded in Britain’s current conflicts.

The program began with a Christmas march, The Carollers (Richard E. Holz), followed by “Hark, the Glad Sound” as a congregational carol. The band continued with Morley Calvert’s arrangement Two Canadian Carols, featuring the tunes “Jesous Ahatonhia” and “Il Est Né”.

The first set of items from the choir included Christmas, Isn’t Christmas (Jimmy and Carol Owens), A Baby Was Born in Bethlehem (arr. Noel Treddinick), Hurry Little Pony (James Brian Bonsor) and Stargazer (Tim Watts). This was the first public performance for this young choir, and they sang well.

The concert continued with more items from the band, including The Quiet Heart (June Collin, arr. John Meredith) and A Christmas Canon (William Gordon). The Boscombe Timbrels presented a routine set to Bach’s Toccata in D minor (arr. Ray Farr), which was followed by the appeal from Rotary president Adrian Scott.

The choir returned for a second set, presenting Cowboy Carol (Cecil Broadhurst) and Zither Carol (Malcolm Sargeant). Between these two songs nine-year-old Alexander Francis gave a lovely rendition of O Holy Night on saxophone. The choir ended their offerings with Jesus Is Born (Adrian Stark).

The congregation was given another opportunity to particpate by singing “Good King Wenceslas”. This was followed by the band’s presentation of O Magnum Mysterium (Morten Lauridsen, arr. Leonard Ballantine), which led into the Christmas thought brought by Major Peter Mylechreest. The congregation again contributed with “In the Bleak Mid-Winter” following the major’s comments.

The final item from the Boscombe Band was the classical transcription Excerpts from “The Little Russian” (Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, arr. William Gordon). The concert concluded with a last congregational carol, “O Come, All Ye Faithful” (arr. Howard J. Evans).