My first few months ‘waving the stick’ at Honiton Band have been a real learning experience. While I’ve been playing for quite a while, standing in front of a group of committed and engaged musicians is an altogether different proposition — and happily for me thus far, the thrill shows no signs of wearing off.
Shortly after picking up the baton — literally! — I asked band members what they would like to do more of in the future, and the answer was almost unanimous: concerts. Honiton Band performs at a number of fairs and fêtes throughout the year, and it’s always a pleasure to do so, but concerts are a different proposition entirely. Your audience will likely be seated, listening for longer, and doing so far more intently, which means that you need to think carefully about which pieces will be the best ‘fit’. A programme full of marches might work well at a summer fête, as listeners wander past with cream teas and Pimm’s, but it won’t be nearly as effective when you have a captive audience hearing the ‘same thing’ for an hour or so. Conversely, that beautiful arrangement of Fauré’s Pavane that you’ve been wanting to do for ages could be a roaring success with an indoor, seated audience, but there’s a real risk that it’d get lost in the background if you’re playing alongside stalls, activities and other entertainment.
With all this in mind, I’m happy to announce that our first summer concert in several years is imminent! We’ll be playing at our rehearsal venue — Honiton Family Church on the High Street — this Saturday at 7:30pm. Entry is free, with an optional collection for the church’s repair fund. We very much hope to see you there, and are looking forward to sharing our work over the past few months with you.
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