A stalwart of the Kirkintilloch Band, Peter Fraser has been involved in running and overseeing a multitude of events in the Scottish brass band scene for some many years.

Fitting celebration

How fitting, therefore, that his recent 75th birthday should be celebrated with this, the first outing involving all three bandsof the Kirkintilloch organisation, and how challenging to keep it a secret from him in the build-up!

It didn’t remain a secret for long as Kirkintilloch, conducted by Eoin Tonner, soon struck up the sounds of ‘Happy Birthday’ and a suitably shocked Mr Fraser graciously thanked those in attendance.

Growing in confidence following their impressive performance at the Scottish Open in November, Kirkintilloch’s programme included a romp through Verdi’s ‘La Forza del Destino’ and Chick Corea’s ‘Spain’.

Soloist

Guest soloist was the band’s professional conductor, Phillip McCann, who proceeded to show his innate sense of musicality in ‘Rusalka’s Song to the Moon’ and Joy Webb’s ‘Share My Yoke’.

Sandwiched between performances from the older Kirky bands was an encouraging set from their buoyant Youth Band, led by Neil Robertson. 

Many of these young players will no doubt take to the senior bands in years to come, and their enthusiasm in a short set including ‘Shenandoah’ through to ‘Scooby Doo’ was abundant.

Joined forces

Kirkintilloch and Kirkintilloch Kelvin, both busily preparing ‘Harmony Music’ for the upcoming Regional Championships, joined forces for the remainder of the evening.

While Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ and movements from Malcolm Arnold’s ‘Little Suite for Brass’ may have benefited from a little more rehearsal time, this did not detract from the warmth of the massed bands’ sound and delicate shaping from the baton of Eoin Tonner.

Nobody missing

A slight logistical issue ensued as a handful of Kirky members, also students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, frantically rushed to the scene from another concert just in time to allow principal cornet player Stephanie Mitchell to join with Phillip McCann in a sprightly rendition of ‘Ida and Dot’.

Nobody wanted to miss saying thanks to one of the finest men of Scottish banding.

Historic

‘Mr Jums’ from Chris Hazell’s ‘Three Brass Cats’ brought an enjoyable and historic evening to a close.

This was an evening for Kirkintilloch’s bands to show off their extensive array of talent, and healthy mixture of youth and experience. It was also a birthday present for one of the most experienced operators north of the border.

Many happy returns Mr Fraser.

Mark Good