Michelmersh Training Band
Concert Success

On Friday evening of last week the Michelmersh Training Band performed a concert in front of a large and enthusiastic audience in the Jubilee Hall, Timsbury. Although the young members of the Training Band have supported the parent Michelmersh Silver Band in concert on a number of occasions, this was their debut stand-alone performance.

Under the skilled baton of Jan Boler, principal cornet player in the Silver Band, players ranging in age from 8 years old to novice adult treated their audience to an entertaining and varied programme of music from the challenging brass band test-piece ‘London River’ to the ‘Theme from The Muppett Show’. A piece entitled ‘West Bound’ and written by Hampshire Youth Brass Band conductor Jock McKenzie was particularly warmly received.

It was however, the talented soloists that stole the show on the night. In the first half, Connie Boler and Nicole Pasotti played the beautiful cornet duet ‘All Bar Two’. After the interval band members Kate MacDonald and Verity Brown were confident and capable comperes, introducing another duet as tuba players Jonathan Daniels and Chris Jones stepped up to perform a very fast-paced ‘Tuba Lollipop’ with great dexterity. Perhaps the loudest applause on the night was saved for young tenor horn player Meg Boler as she played Michael Jackson’s moving melody ‘Ben’ with great panache.

During the evening Jan Boler had appealed for youngsters wishing to learn to play the larger, lower end instruments, such as the tuba, to join the band to boost that section, and explained that the proceeds of the evening would go towards purchasing two much-needed new tubas for loan to perspective players. A little over £400 towards this goal was raised on the night.