Big celebrations as MYBB enter their second decade

“Blown away”, “ A night to remember”, and “WOW!”. Just some of the comments which have been coming from the audience at MYBB’s Tenth Anniversary concert on 4th July. The concert hall at the Royal Northern College of Music was filled with players, sound and enthusiasm as MYBB’s three bands and drum corps all demonstrated how far the organisation has progressed in ten years. They were joined by some of the band’s former players who were thrilled to return and be a part of the celebrations.

 

The centrepiece of the evening was the first performance of a piece commissioned by the band from award winning composer Lucy Pankhurst to mark the occasion. The piece featured all MYBB’s players, with sections for the separate bands and drum corps as well as passages for all playing together, including a finale described by Lucy as “seriously disco”!. The overall effect was stunning, both visually and musically, and the audience gave an extended standing ovation to both composer and players. The composition, Brass Roots; Musical Wings, was the product of a workshop project run by Lucy for the band earlier in the year to involve the players in creating ideas for the piece and to give them the opportunity to talk about the type of music which they enjoyed playing. This proved to be a very successful collaboration and the piece did everything the band had asked for plus very much more.

 

It was an evening full of highlights with the Training Band Rocking around the Clock, the Drum Corps’ sticks glowing red in the dark and the Junior Band catching the excitement of 007’s famous theme tune, not to mention two brilliant solos, “Virtuosity” from Youth Band solo cornet player, George Wright, and “The Carioca” from Tubalaté’s euphonium player, Paul Walton.

Another fine soloist, Jodie Buckland, led everyone in the final and most fitting end to the first ten years, with Abba’s “Thank you for the Music”.

MYBB’s performance of Brass Roots; Musical Wings fills RNCM’s Concert Hall