Floods, homelessness, a seemingly never-ending pandemic, war, refugees – 2022 is turning out to be another “difficult” year – and it’s at times like this that many people “thank God for the Salvos”.
Campbelltown Band was honoured to join with the Adelaide Congress Hall Band in a fund-raising concert for the annual Red Shield Appeal. Fortunately, the City Salvos stage is large enough to accommodate two brass bands and despite the lack of joint rehearsals and difficulty in hearing what the other group was up to, somehow it all came together. Divine intervention perhaps?
Campbelltown MD, Peter Smith and Congress Hall MD, Rod Carger took turns in conducting the combined bands in the stirring Essence of Brass, They Shall Come from the East, and Easter Festival Prelude, combined with the gentle, more reflective melodies Be Still and the Irish Blessing. Mozart’s famous sense of humour would have been tickled by hearing his Eine Kleine Nacht Musik performed by two brass bands instead of his intended strings and Wade in the Water showed that brass can swing as well as any jazz group.
Individual items included the Les Miserables Suite, a selection from E.T. and Julie Dorey’s amazing solo, Clear Skies (Campbelltown) and Able, Vicar of Dibley, Moses Get Down and a duet You Are Always There (A.C.H). Two brackets from the talented Lauren and Aaron Stobie completed a varied programme.
Congratulations to accomplished trombone player and new member (whoopee!) Gordon Coulson on his first Campbelltown job and thanks to Michael Astachnowicz (Flugelhorn) and Andrew Parkinson and Ian Collins (trombones) for their assistance.
