Brass band on song for its France trip
Members of the Cambridge Brass Band are getting excited as their fund for their France trip builds.
The New Zealand France Friendship Fund made $15,000 available to support the group on their trip next year, where they will join the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Le Quesnoy, Cambridge’s sister city.
Also while they are there, the New Zealand Memorial Museum, which is being established in Le Quesnoy, will open.
To celebrate, they are having a launch evening at St Andrew’s Church on Friday July 14 (Bastille Day) starting at 4.15pm.
‘‘We’re going to start celebrations at this end, because the band will be in France for the opening in November next year as well,’’ said band member Paul Murphy.
‘‘We’re all starting to get very excited as things fall into place.’’
While over there, the band will be staying at Gendarmerie, an old police station. Between the 100th anniversary celebrations and their trip home, the band will play at schools and rest homes. The bass trombone player, Pete Smith, has composed a new hymn for Le Quesnoy especially for the trip, and the band will premier the piece at the Auckland Regional Competition in mid-September.
‘‘It will become our signature piece for France,’’ said Murphy.
The Auxiliary Brass Band was awarded the top prize at the recent Trustpower Community Awards in the Arts and Culture category, and that $500 went straight into their Le Quesnoy fund.
About 35 band members are signed up for the France trip.
Their next fundraising venture is on Saturday July 9 at St Andrew’s Church, where the St John Youth Division is running a medieval dinner and dance.