After the shortest of summer breaks this year, the band returned to ‘active duty’ with great gusto, so much so that this correspondent could barely keep up! It’s like standing on a train station platform and watching a non-stop locomotive hurtle past at 150mph. You catch a glimpse, feel the surge of air, sense the intense energy and excitement, and then it’s gone, off to its next destination!
In the last 7 weeks, the Black Dyke Band has performed in no fewer than 7 locations, including Bradford, Southwell, Snape Maltings and Lucerne, Switzerland, to name just a few. In addition, the band has performed on Live TV to launch Bradford City of Culture (BBC’s the One Show) and released a new CD featuring Sir Arthur Bliss’s music. This was a hugely exciting project for the band; the tracks were conducted by the band’s president, John Wilson, and the album recently featured on BBC Radio 3’s’ Album of the Week’. It also reached number three in the specialist classical album charts.
In addition, the band has competed in the British Open Brass Band contest at The Symphony Hall Birmingham and the Championship Section National Finals at the Royal Albert Hall, securing podium position placings in both competitions! As if that wasn’t enough, the band launched a ‘new look’ website and Homepage and recently jetted off to Japan! This will be an epic concert tour where the band will perform to thousands of enthusiastic fans in multiple locations. More exciting news on that in the coming days, so watch this space!