Friary Diary - Issue 120 - February 2025

Welcome to Friary Diary issue 120 - a monthly round up of news about the Friary Brass Band.

IBSTOCK PLACE SCHOOL BRASS DAY:

Our first engagement of 2025 saw Friary in Roehampton, supporting Ibstock Place School’s first ever Brass Day.  

Ibstock’s Head of Expressive Arts, Nic Walker, explains:  ‘Ibstock Brass Day was designed to give young musicians from Ibstock Place School and local primary schools the opportunity to play side-by-side with, and learn from, the experienced and highly skilled players of Friary Brass Band, and to perform repertoire on a grander scale than would normally be possible in their usual day-to-day settings.

‘The day was a huge success and culminated in some barnstorming joint performances!  Members of the audience were also stunned by the virtuosity and flair of Friary’s solo set. It was a huge pleasure and a privilege to collaborate with the band on this project and I look forward to working with them again in the future,’ he concluded.

Joint items in the concert included Soul Bossa Nova and Pastime with Good Company, whilst the highlight of Friary’s set was an ambitious performance of Widor’s Toccata.

Friary chair, David Wicks added:  ‘It was a real pleasure to perform alongside these promising young musicians.  We were delighted to be involved and look forward to forging a strong relationship with the school.’

OPEN REHEARSAL:

With the London & Southern Counties Regional Championships just over a week away, we are delighted to invite you to an open rehearsal at 8.00pm on Wednesday 12th March at Chertsey Hall.  Please join us as we put the finishing touches to our performance of the test piece, Derek Bourgeois’ Diversions.

NEW ENGAGEMENTS:

As you’ll see on our calendar, our engagement diary has been filling up, with the band returning to a number of familiar venues.  We are also planning a Christmas concert at Chertsey Hall, but more of that is to follow.

A MILESTONE BIRTHDAY!

As you might have deduced from the issue number 120, Friary Diary is celebrating its tenth birthday!  When it was launched, little did I think that I’d still be producing it ten years on!  I hope you find it interesting and a good way of keeping up with the Band’s activities.  Feedback and suggestions for content are always welcome.  Here’s to the next ten years!

RANKING NEWS:

There has been no further update of the 4barsrest.com table since the end of last year, so Friary remains 33rd in the world.  In the brassstats.com table, Friary has risen to 29th  following the update on 1st February.