When Carlton Came To Rochdale…
If you happened to be in the vicinity of The Ashcroft in Whitworth on Sunday afternoon, you will no doubt have heard the unmistakable sound of brass bands in glorious action - and what an afternoon of entertainment!
We were delighted to host the championship (aka. premier league team for those more familiar with a football analogy!) Carlton Main Frickley Colliery Band in a joint concert with the A and B brass bands. This event had been a long time in the making with the original date in June being postponed due to it clashing with an England World Cup match, but it was so worth the wait.
The B band kicked the afternoon off and warmed everyone up. The A band followed, including a brilliant Euphonium solo from Rachel Squibbs (that girl can literally play everything!). We then had the delight of listening to Carlton, hearing exactly why they are a championship band, and what some of us could only ever aspire play like in our dreams.
The absolute highlight of the afternoon though was the massed band feature. What a privilege for Bloom members to play alongside their championship level contemporaries. Here’s what a few of them had to say about the experience…
"I played with some of the world's best musicians and I will never forget the experience. Amazing!”
“It was so much fun to be a part of the joint concert with Frickley, I was absolutely buzzing when I left the stage! To be able to have a platform where we can collaborate with top-class musicians and perform in the massed band pieces in front of our friends and family, was really special. Another fabulous day with Bloom Music Community!”
“From starting as a beginner six and half years ago to playing alongside a championship band - it was an amazing experience and something I never dreamed I would do.”
“I went from being very nervous to really enjoying playing with them. Fire In The Blood was my favourite - we'd worked so hard on the piece, so it was lovely to hear it played so well on the day. What a day to be part of!”
A special shout out to all the featured soloists who absolutely smashed it. Carlton perhaps thought the A Band were being ambitious wanting to play such pieces as Fire In The Blood and Caravan, but the band members put in the effort and hard work to make a real success of it. The hairs on my arms are still standing up just thinking about the sound the two bands produced!
Special thanks to Laura and David, the two Musical Directors for working together to make the event happen, and to the Carlton band members for taking the time and effort to support a local community music organisation. Hopefully collaborations such as this can help inspire future generations of musicians and keep the brass band movement going strong long into the future!
Karen Kenton (B Band)