Royal Marines Association Concert Band
Music Director: CaptainDavid Cole MVO MMus ARCM RM (Ret'd)
Band Secretary: Bill Callow
Paddy Dunn Writes:
The Band has continued to enjoy a remarkably busy year, the theme of which has been variety. Variety from the point of view that we have been exploring pastures new; and also in terms of the support we have received from serving members of the Band Service. With regard to the latter clearly we treasure that and in return where we can help our serving colleagues, we promise to do just that.
The highlight of this summer was undoubtedly our open air concert at Leeds Castle in Kent, ’the loveliest castle in the world’ to quote their advertising literature. Most of us would agree with that, not that we had much time to inspect the premises as the boss had us working hard from the moment we arrived until we climbed back onto the coach exhausted in the evening. And on a really hot August day too. No matter; there was a good crowd scattered across the grass in the arena where we played and most people had sensibly brought picnics. So a lovely relaxed atmosphere pervaded this historic setting and we were especially pleased that there were several members of today’s youth in the audience, notably the head chorister of St Paul’s Cathedral whose birthday outing this event was. Special mention must be made of our four soloists that day: Paul Coker (Trombone) with The Rose, Elaine Ball’s Gabriel’s Oboe, and Steve Tanner (Soprano) and Dave Clackett (Alto) who received considerable applause for their parts in Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, a special arrangement by David Cole featuring Everything I Do I Do It For You. Pure magic.
Captain David Cole conducts the RMA Concert Band at Leeds Castle
Photograph: Charles Fox © www.charlesfox.com
Then to the Lighthouse at Poole again in early September. What an absolutely superb auditorium, acoustically speaking. Hardly surprising as it’s the home of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, so Jon Yates probably felt at home with his stunning composition Adagio For Trumpet, and Paul Coker’s Shadow of Your Smile also came across brilliantly. The concert also gave us the opportunity to play Ray Woodfield’s clever arrangement of The Music of Michel Legrand, Grainger’s lovely Londonderry Air and Robert Farnon’s sensitively constructed Rhapsody on the Minstrel Boy. Next to Lympstone for our biennial gig at the RMA Reunion weekend, this time magnificently supported by Plymouth Band’s Corps of Drums who added panache, style, precision and colour to our presentation exactly as the RMA members always demand. In between we managed to squeeze in yet another concert at our lovely home, the Corps Museum at Eastney. There was something about that gig that just seemed to click into place beautifully on that occasion. Anyway, a full house with some outstanding solos by Messrs Yates (Stanley’s Trumpet Concerto), Tanner, Flood, Clackett and others. Quite memorable really.
Since then we’ve been to Margate’s Winter Gardens at the invitation of Mike Scurfield and his team at Cinque Ports Music. A great gig but it was on probably one of the hottest autumn days in living memory and that made the long coach journey even more tiring and tedious than usual. Then most recently to the lovely Octagon Theatre in Yeovil where we were joined by the Corps of Drums from Portsmouth Band (Cpl Helen Annett) whose presence effortlessly swelled the audience by at least a hundred. Thank you so much: obviously the more seats we fill the more we are able to donate to the RM Charitable Trust Fund’s campaign appeal to raise £6M by the Corps’ 350th anniversary in October 2014. We attach particular importance to our year-round fund raising efforts for such an important Corps charity, and our programme that day included Out of Africa, 633 Squadron, Aces High, Bohemian Rhapsody, Twelfth Street Rag and Eric Payne’s beautiful alto solo What Are You Doing with the Rest of Your Life, all of which were roundly applauded.
Finally, special thanks go to Captain Pete Curtis who stood in for David Cole at our Fareham, Lympstone and Margate gigs. What energy, what style. Thank you so much Pete for helping us out and for bringing a whole new meaning to our understanding of the word 'joke' and the Director of Music’s introductory remarks!
Happy Christmas everyone. Next year we will continue to explore pastures new such as Cheltenham, Trowbridge, Horsham, Bognor Regis and Hedge End: the programme is below. Additionally we will be doing a schools concert in February at Hayling Island as our contribution to the Band Service’s recruiting drive, and also because we readily acknowledge the need to do our bit for the local community, especially where it can bring Royal Marines music even more into contact with today’s youth.
Contact details:
Royal Marines Association Concert Band, Building 32, Whale Island, Portsmouth Hants PO2 8ER
Tel: 02392-521505; Email: dom@rmacb.org.uk or visit us online at http://www.rmacb.org.uk
We rehearse at the Royal Marines Museum, Eastney every Thursday evening, 1930 - 2130
Last updated 03 April 2012
