News
Posted By: Louise Arkley / 13th May 2012
On Sunday 22 April 2012, Eynsford Concert Band thrilled its audience with a musical journey, charting its forty year history from humble beginnings in 1972 to today.
This was an emotional evening of celebration and memories where many former members of the band joined us in the audience alongside our regular supporters, and was hosted by Andy Barclay, who is principal percussionist for the London Philharmonic Orchestra and an old-boy of the band, as well as being one of our most valued friends through the years.
The concert featured conductors from bygone years, who returned to help make this a very special concert, and who each selected music that brought back memories of their time with the band.
You can read more and see our photo gallery of this very special evening by clicking here>>
Posted By: Ian Page / 2nd February 2012
Eynsford Concert Band is excited to be invited by Maidstone Wind Symphony to join them on Sunday 27th May for a joint concert at the Pamoja Hall in Sevenoaks.
Our 2 bands will each perform in the grand setting of this new concert hall set in the grounds of Sevenoaks School. We will perform a concert of 2 halves before coming together for a spectacular massed bands finale.
Tickets: £12.00, concessions: £8.00
Book your tickets through our Online Shop
We very much hope that you can join us for what we hope will be the first of many projects with Maidstone Wind Symphony.
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Pamoja Hall
Sevenoaks School
Sevenoaks
Kent TN13 1HU
Posted By: Ian Page / 3rd January 2012
Throughout 2012, Eynsford Concert Band will be celebrating its 40th Birthday.
To mark this special occasion, we will be dedicating our Spring Concert to 4 decades of music making. We have a treat in store for those of you who have been on this journey with us, including special guests and some reminders of our memorable performances and global travels.
We will hold this concert earlier in the evening in the hope that you will join us and share a few memories over a drink or two after the concert.
We hope that you can join us for this special evening.
6.30pm Concert followed by Drinks Reception
Sunday 22nd April
Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford
Tickets: £10.00, concessions: £8.00
Book your tickets through our Online Shop
or by calling Paul on 07506 679015
Map:
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Posted By: Ian Page / 26th November 2011
Councillor Trudy Dean
Over the past 2 years, Councillor Trudy Dean has been an inspiration to the band, leading us into our now established routine of doing our best to bring music into local schools and to encourage children to learn musical instruments.
Trudy’s association with Eynsford Concert Band began in 2009 when we asked for her help in finding a venue for our world premier performance of “Herritage Suite”. Written and dedicated to the band by Dr. Nigel Clarke, the piece was inspired by the bronze sculpture by Sarah Cunnington entitled `Hope’, which is to be found on The Green in West Malling. With this in mind, Trudy set about ensuring that our premier performance of piece was set in the heart of West Malling. The performance took place on 10th October 2009 in the beautiful 500 year-old Tithe Barn.
Since then, Trudy has been instrumental in securing funding and creating the opportunity for us work with The Malling School to introduce pupils to music, to try out some musical instruments and to provide them with an opportunity to hear us perform.
We are very excited that Trudy has agreed to be our Honorary Patron and look forward to working on many future projects with her.
Read more about Councillor Trudy Dean
Posted By: Ian Page / 23rd November 2011
| 25 August, 2012 1:00 pm | to | 28 August, 2012 7:00 am |
40th Birthday Celebration Cruise
Throughout 2012, Eynsford Concert Band will be celebrating its 40th Birthday.
And what better way than to have a 3 day party, on a boat, and to invite all of our past and present members and audience.
With thanks to Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, we have managed to negotiate a great rate that we hope will allow as many of you as possible to join us for this fun weekend of music and celebration.
Our Mini Cruise departs Southampton on Saturday 25th August for a Bank Holiday Weekend Cruise to Antwerp. The old marketplace of Antwerp, with its medieval alleyways, is captivating, as is the historic city of Ghent, home to many stunning buildings, including a thousand-year-old castle.
Our celebrations will begin with the band performing as we leave Southampton and will include a gala dinner and drinks reception. The band will perform again as we leave Antwerp and start our journey home.
We will arrive back into Southampton during the early hours of Tuesday 28th August.
The Cruise will be on Balmoral, the largest of Fred. Olsen’s fleet, which promises to be a great venue for us to get the band and our friends and families together to celebrate this special occasion and to make some music. We have agreed an Eynsford Band Group Price for this trip and you can find out more about the cruise itself by visiting the Fred. Olsen website.
Steve Bennett has kindly agreed to organise this trip for us and we request that you direct all bookings and enquiries to him. Steve can be contacted on 07973 243487 or 01322 865818, or by email to stevetuba@hotmail.com
To book, please complete the Eynsford Concert Band Booking Form, including your preferred cabin grade. You will also need to provide a 10% deposit made payable to Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Pleae note that if you wish to pay by credit card there is a 2% fee. There is no charge for debit cards. To make a payment by Credit or Debit Card, please complete the Credit Card Payment Form. Once you have completed your forms, then please pass them to a member of the band or send them to Steve at stevetuba@hotmail.com
The prices quoted are guaranteed against fuel surcharge for all bookings made before 25th January 2012.
The band is excited to have this trip to look forward to and we very much hope that you can join us to help celebrate our 40th anniversary.
Posted By: Brian Evans / 18th November 2011
In March of this year, at the BASBWE Festival in Bromley, we had the honour of giving the world premiere performance of “Looking In”, a new work for symphonic wind ensemble by the young Welsh composer Tom Davoren, in front of, amongst others, Nigel Clarke, Phillip Sparke and Kit Turnball . The piece was both enjoyable and challenging, and the premiere was universally acclaimed, with Phillip Sparke commenting in his review of the event “this composer seems to have already found his voice and it is an exciting one”.
We are delighted to hear that this work has led to Tom being shortlisted, in the Wind and Brass Band category, for the prestigious British Composer Awards 2011 given by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA).
The winners will be announced at a ceremony to be held at Stationers’ Hall on Wednesday 30 November. The ceremony will also be covered by Radio 3 in a programme to be broadcast on Sunday 4 December.
All of us in the Band would like to congratulate Tom on this achievement, and to wish him the best of luck on the 30th.
Posted By: Brian Evans / 31st October 2011
John Hutchins
JOHN HUTCHINS has enjoyed connections with Eynsford Concert Band for many years and was appointed Musical Director in 2003. Sadly however, after more than eight years of leading our band to new heights of achievement, and of challenging us with new musical and performance opportunities, John has decided that this year will be his last in the role.
We are now delighted to announce that John has agreed to continue his long association with us by accepting the position of Conductor Laureate. In this role, and alongside our Honorary Patrons, John will continue to promote and support Eynsford Concert Band, as well as making occasional appearances in front of the band at rehearsals, and perhaps the odd concert in the future.
We are sure that you would like to join us in congratulating John on this appointment..
Read more about John >>
Posted By: Brian Evans / 11th July 2011
On 10th July 2011, an audience of more than two hundred people enjoyed an afternoon of music making in the beautiful surroundings of Eynsford Castle last Sunday, when Darenth Valley Youth Music and Eynsford Concert Band joined forces to raise nearly £800 for the local church and village hall.
The concert commenced in glorious sunshine with Darenth Valley Youth Music, under the direction of Duncan Dwinell, playing a selection of light music, including “Instant Concert”, an amusing romp through more than 20 well known tunes in around three minutes.
The two ensembles then combined for a rousing rendition of Crown Imperial by William Walton, in celebration of the Royal Wedding earlier this year, after which the Eynsford Concert Band, under the direction of John Hutchins, played a selection of music from West End shows past and present, as well as much loved tunes from the world of films.
Brian Bennett, chairman of Eynsford Concert Band, said “we are always delighted to raise money for local charities and to support youth music in Kent, and thoroughly enjoyed performing with the highly talented children of Darenth Valley Youth Music at this lovely location.”
Our thanks go to Sara Neville and Carla Sinclair for the professional photographs that they took throughout the afternoon. A sample of these can be seen below, but please take a look at the full collection (with photos available for purchase) at their PhotoBox Gallery.
Posted By: Louise Arkley / 29th June 2011
On the 25th June 2011, Eynsford Concert Band performed a very special concert, hosted by the Sevenoaks Town Mayor, to an enthusiastic audience and many local dignitaries at the Sevenoaks Community Centre.
Significantly held on Armed Forces Day, the concert provided a poignant reminder to us all of the difficulties faced daily by wounded servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan and other conflicts, raising in excess of £1,300 for the charity Help for Heroes.
The concert had a theme for each half. The first half held a regal air including pieces such as Jubilee Overture, Crown Imperial and the somewhat tenuously linked Robin Hood ‘Prince’ of Thieves!
The second half took on an interplanetary theme including performances of ET, Mars from The Planets and Starlight Express.
The ladies in the band wore evening dresses in Help for Heroes colours of Red, White and Blue as a tribute to the work of this very worthwhile charity.
This was the second year that our band has supported Armed Forces Day by performing at the Community Centre in Sevenoaks, and I am sure the band feel, as I do, a great sense of pride in being able to honour and remember our servicemen and women in difficult times.
Posted By: Ian Page / 23rd June 2011
| 16 September, 2011 |
| 6:30 pm |
It is clearly time for our next Band Social…please attend if you can…
We thought that we should take the opportunity (not that we really need an excuse) to thank both John and Paul for their many years of hard work and dedication to the band and, of course, welcome Brian as our new Chairman.
A get together is being arranged for after the Malling Schools Project event on Friday 16th September. This will be held at The Bull in West Malling, from 6.30pm onwards (and yes, it is a complete coincidence that this pub is at the end of our new Chairman’s driveway!)
