Sweden’s only all-female brass band, Éowyn Brass, recently held its first concert in Bankeryd in the south of country.

The concert provided the musical finale to a yearly conference for the Brass Band Association of the Pentecostal Church of Sweden, and was held before a packed audience who had come to the event.

Project basis

Éowyn Brass was formed by Malin Arup, a cornet player who regularly plays with several of Sweden’s top brass bands, and works on a project basis, meeting for two weekends in the autumn.

Although they made their debut playing in a church service in Gothenburg 2013, the concert in Bankeryd was their first official large scale project.

The players come from all over the country and are a mix of music students, music teachers and amateur players in many of Sweden’s top brass bands and ensembles.

Prelude

Under the baton of conductor Mia Bergroth they opened with a fine performance of Peter Graham’s ‘Summon the Dragon’, which was the prelude to over an hour of eclectic music making that included everything from ‘David of the White Rock’ and the Swedish hymn tune, ‘Tillagnan’ to the marches ‘Assignment’ and ‘Florentiner’ and even a classic whip through ‘Bugler’s Holiday’.

That piece of fun saw the band’s founder joined by Ellen Gottfridsson and Elin Nyberg.

Highlights

Additional highlights came from flugel player Inka Glanneskog, who played the beautiful solo ‘I Surrender All’, as well as the ensemble playing in ‘Canadian Folk Song Suite’ and ‘The Irish Blessing’.

The band hopes to continue working on future projects over the coming year.