 On Saturday September 28th, City of Bristol Brass Band featured in a second performance of our 2024 | 25 concert project "The Lord of the Rings"
The project, a collaboration between City of Bristol and South Wales' Lewis Merthyr Band, celebrates the 70th anniversary of the publication of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy masterpiece, which was first published in three volumes between July 1954 to October 1955 Throughout 2024-25, City of Bristol and Lewis Merthyr Band will mark this literary landmark in music through a series of performances of works inspired by or linked to Tolkien's pioneering tome. The first of the performances took place in South Wales at the Brecon Medieval Festival at Brecon Cathedral on Sunday May 5th at 7:30pm by Lewis Merthyr Band, and was then followed by a massed bands performance featuring both bands at the Oriana Festival at St Elvan's, Cynon Valley, South Wales. This was then followed by a second massed performance in the glorious surroundings of Bristol Cathedral Repertoire featured in the performances includes a range of music from all three Lord of the Rings movie scores by Howard Shore, plus Gandalf and Hobbits from Johan De Meij's Lord of the Rings Symphony, and Edward Gregson's epic An Age of Kings The Lord of the Rings performances will continue in 2025 with performances in Ravensburg, Germany in April by Lewis Merthyr Band, at St Mary's, Berkeley by City of Bristol in May, and a final performance currently in discussion on the island of Jersey together with Jersey Premier Brass On Saturday September 14th 2024, City of Bristol represented the West of England in the Finals of The National Championships of Great Britain at The Centaur, Cheltenham. With COBBB Musical Director Craig Roberts in Colorado, USA directing the Estes Park International Tattoo, the band were delighted to again work with and perform under the baton of the renowned conductor and adjudicator David Hirst on the set work, Jan Van Der Roost's "Excalibur"
COBBB then reprised their performance of the same work in the 2024 GBBA Championships on Sunday November 24th. While neither performance yielded podium placings, the band's solo euphonium for the GBBA performance and Conductor of the City of Bristol Community Band, Alistair Cupples, was awarded the Steve Purvis Trophy as the Best Euphonium Player of the 2024 Championships. Congratulations Ali! City of Bristol Brass Band will now be promoted to the elite Championship Section for the 2025 season and look forward to competing at this, the highest level in brass band competitive playing, in the year ahead |
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