Summer Term Updates

The 2022 summer term was a busy time for the Wind Orchestra, with a national competition, a concert and Small Band performances on the agenda.

During the Easter holidays, the Wind Orchestra travelled to Manchester to play in the national stage of the National Concert Band Festival (NCBF). This year the NCBF national competition was hosted by the Royal Northern College of Music, which is located in Manchester.

The Wind Orchestra had qualified for the national stage of NCBF after being awarded a Gold award in the East Midlands Regional Round. More details on how the Wind Orchestra did in regionals can be found in the previous blog post.

At NCBF nationals, the Wind Orchestra was once again conducted by Tom Stoneman, who had conducted for us during regionals as well.

The Wind Orchestra were thrilled to have been awarded a Platinum at the national competition. This was an incredible performance from the Wind Orchestra, something all members should be incredibly proud of.

Thanks go to our conductor, Tom, and the Wind Orchestra Exec, led by Anna, our President. They all put in lots of hard work to get us to NCBF and playing so well and the award is a testament to their dedication and commitment. Of course, thank you to all players, those who could travel to NCBF and those who could not; there could not be a Wind Orchestra without you.

Our Platinum at NCBF was by no means the last event of the year; there was the rest of the term still to go.

Our Small Bands (Feeling Saxy, Flute Choir, Liquorice Sticks and Duck Duck Goose) all had opportunities to perform throughout the term to show what they had been working on. A number of our Small Bands played at the official opening of the Faculty of Arts building. Additionally, all four Small Bands played on a particulaly windy day on the piazza for an Open Day, allowing them to play for the passing crowds.

The Small Bands also had their own concert to play in. This year, it took place on Occulus Fields, meaning a wider audience could hear our music. Tunes from ABBA to Stevie Wonder were played, with plenty in between.

The final event of the academic year was our Summer Concert. This concert is particularly special because it allows us to celebrate the members who are leaving the Wind Orchestra. Each departing member picks one piece for the Orchestra to play during the concert. This meant that a wide variety of pieces were played, from the film scores of The Lion King and How to Train Your Dragon to pieces by the composers Gustav Holst and Ralph Vaughan Williams.

St John's Church in Leamington Spa was our concert venue. Our conductors were four student conductors: Sophie, Ruben, Bethan and Thomas. All conducted the Orchestra very well, particularly considering none of them had conducted a group of people this size before.

That is all from the Wind Orchestra from the Summer Term. We shall be back in the Autumn with lots more to look forward to!