The Medway Town Band organisation recently performed their first Patrons' Concert featuring their main senior outfit conducted by Melvin White and Medway Concert, directed by John Campbell, with guest trombone soloist Susan White and special guest, composer Rodney Newton.

Memory

The Medway Band's programme included six items composed by Rodney, including the English premiere of his 'Three Burns Portraits' written for, and performed by Susan in memory of her mother Maureen Cordiner.

Melvin and Rodney provided the background as to how the short trombone solo requested, turned into the major three movement work produced!

Tour de force

As one delighted audience member later told 4BR: "It was certainly a 'tour de force' for trombone, which displayed Susan's scintillating technique and beautiful melodious playing."

Meanwhile, the band's Scottish born solo horn player remarked; "From someone who's grown up in the middle of Ayrshire, I think Rodney Newton's ‘Three Burns Portraits’ was spot on."

It was certainly a 'tour de force' for trombone, which displayed Susan's scintillating technique and beautiful melodious playingAudience member

Turpin

Susan also performed Rodney's, ‘'Dick Turpin's Ride to York' and Kevin Kay-Bradley performed his flugel solo, ‘Dimitri’. Other items included Rodney's wonderfully evocative 'King Solomon's Mines' and his arrangement of 'Gaudete'.

Rodney was also invited to conduct the massed bands in what he announced as the first ever performance of his early work, 'Range Rider'.

Finale

An appreciative audience were treated to a finale of the Introduction to Act III, ‘Lohengrin’ before being sent on their way with a promise that this was the first of what will be an annual event.