Brass bands unite for special end of year fantasia concert

Levin and Districts Brass will host an End of Year Brass Fantasia Concert on Sunday afternoon, November 27, at 2pm at The Salvation Army Worship and Community Centre, Durham St, Levin.

They will be joined by the Upper Hutt Brass Band for another afternoon of toe-tapping entertainment.

The Upper Hutt Brass Band will open the programme under the conductorship of musical director Aaron Lloydd. Upper Hutt Brass are the current reigning National Champion C Grade band of New Zealand, having earlier won the title at the New Zealand National Brass Band Championships in Wellington in July.

The band will showcase their extensive repertoire, featuring several recent compositions by New Zealand

composers, Kinloch by Jack Bewley and The Enchanted Dance Hall by Kenneth Young. The band will present an item of traditional music with a very modern twist, Beethoven’s Beano by Howard Snell. Featured will be Grand Russian Fantasia by Jules Levy.

Levin and Districts Brass will feature in the second half of the programme under recently appointed musical director Mat Johnston. This concert will be Mat‘s second public outing as the band’s musical director. Selections include Battlefield Classic Theme,

the traditional item Bridge Over troubled Water by Paul Simon, and Crimson Tide/Melita,

arranged for the band by Andrew Willis, who is a playing member of the band.

Mat said it is fortunate Levin and Districts Brass has a few members who can arrange pieces for the band to perform. In the spirit of the festive season the band will perform Snoopy’s Christmas, arranged for brass band by Peter Ellery.

For the grand finale of the afternoon the bands join together to perform the

and the NZ classic