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Priory Place Methodist Church concert
Doncaster Dome events [ Photographs and mp3 files]
PRIORY PLACE METHODIST CHURCH CONCERT - 13 March 2007
The first of the three 75th Anniversary concerts took place at Priory Methodist Church on 13 March. This was a cunning mixture of some of the Centre’s least experienced ensembles and some of the more experienced smaller ensembles. The playing of the two beginner groups of guitarists (conducted by James Belbin-Wood and Martin Nockalls respectively) and one each of woodwind (Chris Moore) and Brass (Andrew Gurnhill) showed their sense of occasion, some of the groups in music composed or arranged for them by their conductors. The senior ensembles heard were; the Senior Percussion Ensemble directed by Kevin Edwards, in Paradoodles, almost totally improvised, and - a real find this - the Concert Piece for Percussion and Piano by Malcolm Arnold, thoroughly characteristic of him; the Senior Brass Group (conducted by Paul Stubbs) whose two slots embraced two Banchieri Fantasias (17th Century), popular tunes by Bizet and Handel, well worked arrangements of folk melodies and three numbers in popular styles by Don Blakeson; and the William Appleby Chamber Orchestra (conductor, Bob White) whose programme included Mozart, Robert Washburn's Serenade for Strings and, with Emma Stockdale a very assured soloist, three movements from Bach's Suite in B Minor for flute and strings. Generally excellent performances suited to the festival billing.
DONCASTER DOME EVENTS - 17 & 18 March 2007
The Second event of the Festival 75 took place at the Dome on 17 March, an event awesome in its scale with two junior orchestras, two concert bands, the steel pans, two guitar groups, all recorder groups, the electric guitars (good planning to have the gentle sound of the recorders succeeded immediately by the harsher sound of the 'electrics'), the Doncaster Schools Senior Orchestra and the Symphonic Band, whose rousing rendition of Sousa’s Stars and Stripes march with Emma Stockdale's breathtaking piccolo playing dominant, was one of the outstanding memories (of many good ones). Again it was good to see so many of the teachers composing or arranging music especially for their ensembles. One past teacher, Ray Woodfield (who was in the audience), continues to write prolifically for the recorders and their performance of his Curtain Up was very attractive. Two junior school choirs (from Scawsby Saltersgate, and Balby Central) sounded very well prepared in Douglas Coombes' specially commissioned The Song Makers. The evening was enhanced by the presence of the author and raconteur Gervase Phinn, a great admirer of the Music Service, who gave a 'history lesson' on its 75 years with musical illustrations from most of the ensembles on view. These illustrations included two more specially commissioned pieces - Singing Together by Kevin Edwards, another highly agreeable song for the junior choirs, recalling William Appleby's popular radio programme, and, involving all ensembles simultaneously, Celebration by James Belbin-Wood, an attractive, eclectic piece exploring brilliantly all the varied tone colours available to him. This brought things full circle as all performers began the evening with Parry's Jerusalem and appropriately so as this was a magnificent celebration, firstly for its music, as a feat of administration and as something for the hundreds of pupils to look back on with pride and enjoyment. The third Festival concert (18 March), also at the Dome was a similar structure to the previous evening but with mainly different ensembles. Again it was a wonderful occasion, a worthy celebration of something worth marking and holding on to for the future. The outstanding moments - of many - were Beechfield Youth Orchestra's sprightly performance of Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld overture with highly creditable extended solos for clarinet, cello and violin, Vermuyden Concert Band's contribution - film music by Ron Goodwin and Howard Shore - the attractive guitar ensembles by Martin Nockalls and Steve Merrett, two more outstanding examples of compositions by teachers in the Music Service. And last, but far from least, there was another welcome opportunity to hear James Belbin-Wood's Celebration, this time with its first section in the custody of Beechfield Youth Orchestra. And does the fact that the Dome was filled to the rafters both nights running indicate the force of schools' music within the town? Astonishingly, three festivals, all with a substantial musical input (the others were HotHouse and the Don Valley Competitive Festival) all took place simultaneously in the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough area. The Music Service's Festival 75 was probably the biggest audience puller of the three; perhaps in view of school music's popularity since the days of William Appleby and even before, we should not be too surprised at that.
STAFF PERFORMANCE CONCERT - 14 June 2007
This has been a great year for the Music Service and not the least fascinating event of it took place on 14 June at Priory Methodist Church in the shape of a Doncaster Music Service Staff Concert. No fewer than forty took part in this - administrative as well as teaching staff - and they produced a wealth of varied music finely performed and (this is perhaps the crucial point) with an obvious sense of enjoyment.
One highlight was the performance of Leroy Anderson's "The Typewriter" with the Services clerical staff appropriately playing the "solo", albeit on laptops rather than Remingtons.
As with all the Anniversary concerts, there was a full house to enjoy it all. The quality of the performances was a striking demonstration of how much the town's music has long owed - and still does - to the Music Service. I hope this concert will not be a one-off, although one appreciates that were it to be annual it might well be too much for such a busy staff.