Silver fling for Lochaber Community Wind Band
Celebrations mark 25 years of music making
Lochaber Community Wind Band is tuning up for a weekend of celebrations culminating in a full massed band programme at a concert to mark 25 years of music-making in the region.
This weekend, April 2 and 3, the band is hosting The Lochaber Silver Fling - an educational weekend which will bring together wind, brass and percussion players from all over Scotland and beyond for a weekend of music and socialising.
Participants will then play a full massed band programme at a concert in Caol Community Centre on Sunday April 3 at 4pm.
Robin Gillies, chairman of Lochaber Community Wind Band, said: ‘By gathering a large number of instrumentalists together, we hope to maximise everyone’s individual benefit and enjoyment by providing the experience of playing in a large band.’
Guest musical director for the weekend is Vaughan Fleischfresser.
Originally from Australia and now residing in Scotland, Vaughan has a broad range of teaching experience, ranging from primary to university, instrumental to community music, and everywhere in between.
He has worked extensively throughout Australia, Scotland and North America, having most recently been the teaching fellow in music education at Edinburgh University. He is conductor of the Peebles Concert Band and the Edinburgh University Female Voice Choir.
Lochaber Community Wind Band was founded in 1996 by John G Whyte, a former trombone player with the Scots Guards and now retired instrumental instructor, who has been the band’s conductor and prime motivator since.
The band became a registered charity on December 11 1996.
‘Our objective is to provide an outlet for the musical talents of amateur players throughout Lochaber and to contribute to the cultural diversity of the area by performing at a variety of community venues - indoors and outdoors, large and small,’ explained Robin.
In recognition of the band’s contribution to the community, the Scottish Arts Council awarded it a generous grant in 1999, all of which has gone towards the purchase of new high-quality wind instruments and specialised percussion instruments.
Members come from all over Lochaber and represent a wide variety of age groups, backgrounds, musical preferences and levels of experience.
‘What we all have in common is the joy of playing a musical instrument which we increase many times over by playing together.’
‘What we all have in common is the joy of playing a musical instrument which we increase many times over by playing together,’ said Robin.
The band continues to loan instruments to its members and practises every Wednesday night during the school term. Financially disadvantaged members benefit from a reduced annual subscription.
Outside of Covid, they continue to play at gala days, charity concerts, Remembrance Day church services and musical shows in association with other local organisations. Some members perform in the Great Glen Swing Band and ensemble groups play at the Lochaber Music Festival. For its tenth anniversary, members of the band visited the west coast of Norway for a five-day musical tour, playing as a group and performing a concert with a Norwegian band at the Soral Aluminium Smelter. For more information on the band and The Silver Fling visit the band’s Facebook page.