On Saturday 4th July the band took part in massively well attended joint concert with Kilndown Community Choir at Goudhurst Church.
Given the date, the theme for the first half of the concert was American music and the band opened the evening with the 20th Century Fox fanfare followed by John Williams’ Star Wars, then James Anderson’s Goldcrest with the choir and audience singing along in the middle.
Colours of the Wind from Pocahontas followed with the band accompanying the excellent junior choir.
The choir took centre stage for the next three pieces, America Medley, Summertime, with a lovely saxophone solo from one of the members of the junior choir, and the beautifully sung Shenandoah. The junior choir stepped up again with their lovely rendition of Alicia Keys’ Empire State of Mind.
The band took their places again for the final two pieces in the first half which were Robin Dewhurt’s arrangement of Pat Metheny’s Last Train Home and Leigh Baker’s arrangement of the Lionel Richie classic All Night Long.
Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s Horizons opened the British themed second half of the concert after a break that had to be extended by 10 minutes due to the sheer number of people in the audience. This was followed by Carl Jenkins’ Benedictus with David Newsom on Euphonium as the soloist and the choir joining in with the vocal part. Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines the band and choir provided a rousing contrast before the band again had the stage to themselves with Ted Huggens’ Chorale and Rockout.
The choir and band led into a Last Night of the Proms by performing Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem together before the choir featured I Vow to Thee my Country. Both groups joined together for the finale pieces of the evening – Dennis Wright’s arrangement of Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs and Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance.
The choir, the band and the audience were all buzzing at the end of what was of a thoroughly successful and enjoyable evening in a beautiful church on a wonderful summer’s evening!
Update 14/07/15 : You can now listen to the concert, our thanks to David Knight who recorded the event.