Huddersfield Town Hall
The Black Dyke Band has had an exhilarating early summer of performances, once again showcasing its musical prowess at a number of prestigious events. For example, since the last news update, the band participated in the Elgar International Festival of Brass on June 8th in Malvern, where it shared the stage with other esteemed bands, including Cory and Foden’s, presenting a thrilling performance to an appreciative capacity crowd.
Then, on June 13th, the band took part in the iconic Whit Friday marches, which included the celebrated march through the village and then a bandstand performance of âKnights Templarâ in Delph, famously featured in the film âBrassed Offâ. This was great fun for all the bands involved and many thousands of visiting supporters and brass band enthusiasts. As you might expect, Black Dyke Band picked up a fair share of the prizes in each of various villages visited!
Following this, on June 15th, Black Dyke Band hosted its annual Festival of Brass at Huddersfield Town Hall, featuring sectional workshops and a concert that showcased the bandâs prowess, in collaboration with its specially invited guest bands. Once again, this was a terrific event featuring bands from Stourport on Severn, Armthorpe Elmfield, Delph and of course the wonderful Yorkshire Youth Band!
One participant commented⌠âWe had a wonderful day, thank you so much to Black Dyke for your company, inspiration and phenomenal playing! I feel very fortunate to have been able to share the stage with all of you and with all my friends. The workshops in the morning were fabulous too! You were super welcoming and super organised. Thank you from each one of us!â Joanne Foskett â Stourport on Severn Band.
Stourport on Severn Brass Band and Professor Nicholas Childs
The concert series continued with a thrilling performance in Portsmouth and this was followed by a spectacular concert at Lichfield Cathedral on July 12th, as part of the âLichfield Festivalâ celebrations. This particular evening opened with the band’s signature march “Queensbury” by James Kaye and featured a diverse repertoire, including Arthur Blissâs âAdam Zero,â with its many evocative movements, and also included Richard Marshallâs stunning cornet solo, “Virtuosity”. As usual, Gareth Handâs virtuosity on the xylophone with “Helter Skelter” left everyone in the audience utterly spellbound.
Gareth Hand – ‘Helter Skelter’
The second half was equally captivating, headlined by John Williams’s âOlympic Fanfareâ and featuring solos from some of the bandâs other super talented instrumentalists, including the amazing Adam Bokarisâ performance of “Rule Britania”. Music Director Professor Nicholas Childs explained to the audience the intricacies of âtriple tonguingâ and challenged Adam to conquer the majestic acoustic in the Cathedral. This didnât appear to phase the soloist one little bit, as another correspondent previously observed ââŚI swear that man could play a radiator if it had a mouthpieceâŚâ The concert concluded with an encore of âHighland Cathedral,â for this audience member it was a very moving and thrilling experience. Immediately following this outstanding concert the band travelled onwards to open the wonderful Kingâs Lynn Festival on the 13th July.
Adam Bokaris – ‘Rule Britania’
As the band approached the end of the season, it âcame homeâ to Queensbury Parish Church, a significant venue for the ensemble, further solidifying its connection with the local community, heritage and rich brass band tradition. Then, to bring things to a resounding close, the band went to Blackburn! What a fabulous evening of music making in Blackburn Cathedral. As a bonus the Black Dyke Band was delighted to join forces with the 2nd Rossendale Scout Band. The combined sounds of both bands playing âFire in the Bloodâ was truly something very special.
Blackburn Cathedral
All the above is just representative of the many events and concerts the Black Dyke Band has been proud to present in the last few weeks. If you add all this to the intensive rehearsal schedule the band maintains, you will get some sense of the remarkable commitment each member makes to be part of this extraordinary ensemble.
All these hardworking musicians will now take a well-deserved (albeit short) summer break. The band returns to âactive dutyâ on August 21st with a concert in St. Wilfredâs Church, Harrogate and then on August 28th in the Victoria Hall, Sheffield (click on the Upcoming Events tab for details). The band also eagerly anticipates its participation in the 171st British Open contest in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, on September 6th 2025.
Article: David Nicholson