University of Salford Concert

University of Salford Music Division
The Band of the Coldstream Guards, Major Graeme Jones
Salford University Brass Band, Professor David King
Inaugural Concert, Peel Hall, Salford
Wednesday 17th March 2004

The Music Division of Salford University welcomed some new friends on Wednesday. The Coldstream Guards have accepted the invitation to become the University's ‘band-in-residence'; the first time a professional military organisation has worked with a University music or Conservatoire department in the UK.

The opportunities within this partnership will be quite interesting. Both Undergraduate and Postgraduate students will get the chance to work with the numerous ensembles within the Guards' Band, and the professional musicians in return will be exposed to different musical strands.

Taking a look round the stand, a number of familiar faces were on show that play with well-known bands. Alex Thomas on Principal Cornet and Toby Bannan (Bass Trombone) both play with YBS; Steven Rodgers on flugel (Brighouse) and Natsumi Inaba on Principal Euphonium (Fodens) are just four names, but many of the students play with bands on both sides of The Pennines, a key part of their education in-and-out of the University.

The concert itself was an absolute cracker. Twenty four hours after the Salford Band had performed music from the pen of Ellerby & Golland, Professor David King set the pulses racing with the Eric Crees arrangement of the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. What a sound! It was fairly typical of anything you would associate with a Professor King ensemble; tight, precise and nothing asked from the conductor that the students couldn't give back in return.

The audience wanted more from the students, but sadly, it was their only solo contribution in the concert. The Music Division then acknowledged three students who received prizes for outstanding achievements during their academic studies. The Goff Richards Award for Best Jazz Performance went to Sarah Doggett, presented by Dr Richards himself. Dr Roy Newsome presented Stewart Bell with the conducting prize that takes the well respected ‘father figure of banding's' name. Finally, Gavin Pritchard was the recipient of the Mortimer Performance Prize, and became the first percussion player to receive the prestigious prize from Professor King.

The Coldstream Guards took over proceedings to perform a short but entertaining programme before the large audience. First up, was the Peter Graham composition, ‘The Red Machine'. Dramatic, rhythmical music to begin with, the acoustic in the hall helped the sound of the band. The new composer-in-residence of the Guards Band, Peter Graham is certainly a master of this kind of music, that has a lovely waltz within it before going back to its original theme and a dramatic finale.

Gavin Hall is an ex-Salford student and now a member of the Coldstream Guards. Gavin chose to play the relaxing jazzy number entitled ‘Round Midnight', and demonstrated what a lovely tone he has on flugel.
To close it's set; Major Jones took everybody back to the days of The Beatles with a medley entitled ‘Echoes of an Era'. You name the tune, and it was included. This was yet another demonstration of the variation of styles that military bands can perform, and why, when they are to be heard in public, they play to full houses everywhere.

To finish off, the two ensembles combined to perform the Goff Richards composition, ‘Celtic Knots'. Dr Richards was present the first time the piece was played in Lucerne by the Guards Band, and re-arranged it for this concert. Its exciting, melodious music, and the combination of both bands was superb.

Major Graeme Jones summed it up at the end by saying ‘We believe that this (relationship) is the start of something special. To combine, learn and create good music'.

Without question, concerts with these two ensembles are an opportunity too good to miss and it will be a relationship that will be beneficial to both parties with music being the overall winner.

Malcom Wood

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