British orchestral conductor Martyn Brabbins continues to keep in touch with the brass banding movement wherever he is on his worldwide travels.

Currently in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, he is leading their acclaimed Symphony Orchestra in concerts over the weekend — featuring Tchaikovsky's 'Symphony No. 4', Beethoven's 'Piano Concerto No. 1' and Akimenko's 'Angel'.

Night off

However, he didn't miss the opportunity to during a night off to link up with the local Kensington & Norwood Band, the current A Grade South Australian Champion.

Speaking about his visit MD, Jonathan Baker said: "It was quite an honour to have Martyn attend our rehearsal after our tuba player Stan McDonald extended an invitation."

Martyn helped with preparation for two upcoming performances: one for the Kensington Residents Association and another at the Hahndorf Band Festival, and took time to find out more about the band and the players in its ranks.

Brass band lover

One of those he was delighted to hear was principal percussionist Jason Bevan, who moved from Wales in 2020, where he played for Tongwynlais Temperance for many years.

He told 4BR: "It was lovely to meet Martyn and share stories of banding in Wales. He is a real brass band lover — and him coming to the band on a rare night off showed that."

Find out more

Find out more about the Kensington & Norwood Band at: https://www.knband.org.au/