The 13th annual Gramercy 'Brass Band Camp' has been hailed a resounding success after being hosted for the very first time amid the beautiful surroundings of the Second Reformed Church in Hackensack, New Jersey.
Finest exponents
The Gramercy Brass Orchestra of New York remains one of the finest exponents of British brass band tradition in North America, ever since winning a brace of NABBA Championship titles following their inception in the 1980s.
It continues to attract many of New York and New Jersey's finest professional teachers, Broadway and symphony orchestra regulars, university professors and young pro players.
Their annual 'Band Camp' offers a concentrated opportunity to distil the passion for British brass banding with mixture of fun and hard work, with student's aged between eight and eighteen enjoying tuition from tutors such as Max Morden, Mike Fahie, Rob Fournier, Ray Henricksen, Lee Ann Newland, Wes Krygsman, Bob Sacchi and Jonatan Lango, as well as founding conductor John Henry Lambert.
Davoren lead
This year's guest conductor was Tom Davoren who flew in to enjoy a fantastic week of music making on repertoire as diverse as 'Pageantry' and 'Rhapsody in Brass' to American classics from John Williams and Dave Brubeck (featured in their latest CD) as well as some of his own works.
Each day also had an inventive culinary theme — from Spanish cooking to American BBQ, whilst minds as well as bodies were kept in trim with art appreciation and some testing sight-reading sessions and jazz charts.
The week was rounded off with a splendid full house concert at the Church, where older members also performed alongside the next generation of brass band players in the fantastic beginner's group.
The final concert and awards captured the spirit of the week perfectly. The musical growth shown by those taking part throughout the week was superb and the spirit on show throughout was so heartwarmingTom Davoren
Spirit and growth
Tom told 4BR: "The final concert and awards captured the spirit of the week perfectly. The musical growth shown by those taking part throughout the week was superb and the spirit on show throughout was so heartwarming.
This is a totally different experience to anything we have in the UK, and one that I'd recommend to everyone."
That was certainly reinforced by one 10th Grade Student, who added: "This was my first year attending Gramercy Brass Band Camp and I had an incredible time and made so many new friends. I can't wait for 2018!"
2018 event
The 2018 Gramercy Brass Band Camp is set for August 6th-12th, 2018 and will again be hosted by the Second Reformed Church in Hackensack, NJ, USA.
You can find out more at: www.gramercybrass.org
