ULMS news

Big Band head to Sunderland

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:16:55 +0000

On Saturday 3rd March, ULMS Big Band boarded the coach to Sunderland to take part in the Great North Big Band Festival. They played a short slot in the open sections of the competition and played three pieces. Their first piece, Cut To The Chase, was described by the judges as a 'funky little number,' and this was followed with a vocal arrangement of Van Morrison's Moondance. Their final and biggest piece was Samba Del Gringo by Gordon Goodwin. The judges described this as the best piece of the three and complimented the rhythm section - particularly the drummer! After their performance, Big Band stayed behind to watch and support the other bands in the competition before the long journey home. Big Band rep, Abbie Bavester, said that 'we were up against some very tough competition and so were very happy with our comments. It was a good day out and we came away very pleased.'

Big Band will be playing alongside a whole host of ULMS ensembles at Campus Festival this Saturday (17th). Be sure to come along!

Triumph in 2 competitions

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:57:28 +0000

University of Lancaster Music Society (ULMS) has been on the road to represent the university at several competitions across the country, and coming away with two prizes. This November saw both the Choir and the Wind Band show off their talents.

The Choir got the ball rolling in Conwy, Wales at the North Wales Amateur Choral Festival. They performed a varied programme of three songs: Stephen Sondheim’s Send in the Clowns, Thomas Tallis’ If Ye Love Me and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ arrangement ofLoch Lomond, which featured a Tenor solo by Richard Osborne. The performance was lead by Principal Conductor Daniel Smith, who would like to thank and congratulate everyone who took part: “We sound amazing!!”. The choir received the music society’s first trophy, coming second.

Later in the month, the University of Lancaster Music Society Wind Band followed up on their success last year after attending the National Concert Band Festival in Rochdale for the second consecutive year. After many weeks of hard practice, the ensemble gave a stunning performance, which was rewarded with a Gold Award. “We are delighted with our result at the contest this year. I’m so very proud of the band, they really deserved it,” said Wind Band representative, Rebecca Hardman. The band hopes this success will continue, as the contest becomes a yearly fixture in their calendar.

If you would like to see ULMS in action, they are once again supporting the Mayor’s chosen charities by performing a concert in the Town Hall on Saturday 4^th February. They will be playing a varied programme of classic and modern tunes, and they’re really hoping the many of you can come. Later on this term, they will once again be performing at Campus Festival, including the WORLD PREMIERE of a brand-new piece of music.

- copied from http://lusu.co.uk/2012/01/25/ulms-triumph-in-two-competitions/#more-5084

Wind Band win Silver at NCBF final

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 22:30:41 +0100

On Saturday 2nd April the Lancaster University Symphonic Wind Band attended the National Concert Band Festival final, held in the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. The Band produced a great performance on stage, receiving many positive comments from the judges and a Silver Award.

Christmas at the Cathedral

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:15:41 +0000

The Annual ULMS Christmas Concert at Lancaster Cathedral took place on the evening of Wednesday 15^th December. The Symphonic Wind Band, Brass Band, Choir and Symphony Orchestra all performed in front of an audience so large, the start of the concert was delayed by five minutes in order that everyone could get in and be seated.

The Symphonic Wind Band opened the concert with Hark the Herald Angels Sing under their principal conductor, Max Stannard. They then turned away from Christmas Music playing a piece which they had performed whilst winning their Gold Award at the NCBF, Philip Sparke’s A Quiet Moment, and a beautiful arrangement of the spiritual My Lord What a Morning by Fred Allen entitled, When the Stars Began to Fall. Assistant Conductor, Hannah Ogden, returned to the Christmas theme, with The Christmas Song and The First Noel, before finishing with Elsa’s Procession to the Cathedral, an arrangement from Wagner’s Lohengrin, very appropriate in this setting.

The Brass Band was up next, with a couple of up beat arrangements conducted by Assistant Conductor Laura Hounsome. First was the crowd pleasing Jingle Bells by Derek Ashmore, which was followed by the breathtaking arrangement of Gaudete by Rodney Newton, featuring every section, as well as Rachael Keefe on kit. The band took a more serious tone as they finished with two arrangements of classical works under Principal Conductor Max Stannard. The first was Leonard Boellmann’s Suite Gothique arranged as a test piece for Brass Band by Eric Ball. The band performed the Choral and the Toccata, which would feature the Bass section consisting of Chris Osborn, Rhian Davies and Hannah Dunn, and Jonathon Parton on Euphonium. The first half was brought to a close with Christopher Wormald’s arrangement of Mahler’s Resurrection.

The Choir began the second half of the concert once everyone had trooped back from the Community Centre across the road, where they had been treated to refreshments. The Choir began with In Dulci Jubilo under Principal Conductor Amelia Phillips, before handing over to Suzy Wimbourne, the Assistant Conductor as they sung A Boy Was Born and Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Once again Amelia Philips took to the stand conducting Silent Night, dedicated to Simon’s nan, Margaret. Next was the Lullaby from Hodie featuring soloist Elizabeth Solera Shepherd. The final piece of the choir’s set was The Three Kings, which featured a solo from Rafael Oyelade.

The Symphony Orchestra began their set under Principal Conductor, Simon Gower playing Scene from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Suite. Simon then conducted the premiere of his own composition especially for the ULMS Symphony Orchestra, the symphonic tone poem, The Winter Palace. Christopher Wadeson, the Assistant Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra then conducted the well known piece by Leroy Anderson, Sleigh Ride.

The evening once again ended with carols with the ULMS Symphony Orchestra featuring the Choir and audience, this year conducted by Amelia Phillips. The carols were Once in Royal David’s City, featuring Laura Coverley singing the first verse as a solo, Ding Dong Merrily on High, and Oh Come All Ye Faithful. The percussion section would like to add their gratitude to Jonathan Parton’s assistance during the carols.

The concert was a great end to the term which had been very busy for the society. Many people commented on the high standard of playing, and also the great turn out. The hours of giving out flyers must have paid off. Thanks must go to everyone in the society: the performers, conductors, ensemble reps and committee for all the hard work they have put in this term. Bring on 2011!

Memorable concert at the Memorial

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:15:57 +0000

On Friday 10^th December the ULMS Choir, along with the String Orchestra and Flute Choir made the trip to the Ashton Memorial in Williamson Park to perform as part of the park’s series of carol concerts which was running during the Festive period.

The String Orchestra opened the concert playing Andante Festivo by Sibelius and Karl Jenkins’ Benadictus under the direction of conductors Carrie Skinner and Vivien Saunders. They were followed by the Flute Choir who began with Dawn Carol, which imitated bird calls, and in the acoustic of the circle Ashton Hall, created a great sound. They also performed The March from the Nutcracker conducted by Pippa Jones.

After a short interval, the Choir took to the stage for the second half. They sang a mix of Christmas pieces including Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Silent Night and Ding Dong Merrily on High under their conductors Amelia Phillips and Suzy Wimbourne. The concert also featured the Barbie and Barbershop Choirs.

Orchestral workshop

Sun, 05 Dec 2010 19:16:15 +0000

On Sunday 5^th December, ULMS hosted the first ever Orchestral Workshop held at Lancaster University. The day saw the creation of the Lancaster University Community Orchestra that morning, which was conducted by Duncan Ward, and benefited from sectional rehearsals run by members of the Lancashire Sinfonietta.

The workshop was completely free and open to anyone from the university and the local community, with participants from Lancaster Community Music Centre and Lancashire Youth Concert Band, as well as ULMS members. The aim was to create an orchestra which would rehearse pieces during the day and then perform in the evening’s concert, along with the ULMS Symphony Orchestra. The day was a great success with everyone enjoying and benefiting from the rehearsals.

The concert in the evening began with the ULMS Symphony Orchestra performing Rosamunde, Coppelia and Suite from Swan Lake. The Community Orchestra performed in the second half. The music that was picked for the Orchestra was Soirees Musicales (Rossini, arr. Britten) as well as the film music, Concert Suite from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Symphonic Suite from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Thanks must go to conductor Duncan Ward and the musicians from the Lancashire Sinfonietta for the help and expertise. Thanks must also go to LUSU Involve who provided the funding to allow the event to take place and helped in the organisation. Finally I’d like to thank the ULMS committee for their help in organising this event.

Mayor's Concert

Sat, 04 Dec 2010 19:16:37 +0000

The University of Lancaster Music Society put on a special concert in Ashton Hall on Saturday 4^th December at the request of Cllr. Tony Wade, the Mayor of Lancaster, to raise money for his designated charity, the Stroke Unit at Lancaster Royal Infirmary. The concert featured all the ULMS ensembles, performing a programme of ‘Music from the Movies’, which raised over five hundred pounds.

The Ashton Hall was a great venue for the concert and it brought out the best in our ensembles. The concert opened with the Symphonic Wind Band performing Empire Strikes Back from Star Wars under Max Stannard, followed by Pirates of the Caribbean conducted by Hannah Odgen. Next, the Swing Group took to the stage under conductors Adele Butler and Dominic Treharne. They performed Peter Gunn Theme, Soul Bossa Nova and Blues Brothers Revue. The Big Band closed the half with Music from Chicago, Gimme Some Luvin’ and Pink Panther, conducted by Dominic Treharne and Hannah Ogden. There were solos from Jonathan Phippen and Mike Turner.

The second half began with the ULMS Symphony Orchestra under Simon Gower and Christopher Wadeson playing Scene from Swan Lake featuring Rosie Burgess on oboe and Concert Suite from Harry Potter and the Prisoner from Azakaban, in which Max Stannard, Jonny Parton and Chris Osborn covered for the whole brass section. Next up were the Choir under Suzy Wimbourne performing Rhythm of Life, That Lonesome Road, and Oh Bla Di, which might not have fitted the film music programme, but as the choir had recently performed at the MACC, they wanted to demonstrate how well they had done. The concert finished with the Brass Band performing Hymn to the Fallen from saving Private Ryan, The Way We Were, a Flugal Horn solo featuring Laura Emsley, and Cruella De Vil all conducted by Laura Hounsome. Under the baton of Max Stannard the band finished with Somewhere Out There, featuring a Horn Solo from Rachael Critchley, Jurassic Park featuring a Horn Solo from Laura Hounsome and an encore, The Incredibles, which featured most sections of the band, but especially Rachael Keefe on kit.

The Mayor thanked the society for a brilliant concert and promised to be at many more in the future. It was great to perform in such a lovely venue and hopefully this will be the just one of many appearances of ULMS ensembles at the Ashton Hall.

Choir compete at the MACC

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 19:16:56 +0000

On Sunday 21^st November the ULMS Choir, under Amelia Phillips competed at the Manchester Amateur Choral Competition. This took place at the Royal Northern College of Music and featured choirs from across the country.

The Choir had to get up at a ridiculously early time in the morning, in order to make it to the venue in time for the start – most of the members of the choir made it on time. Once everyone had arrived, two coaches took the eighty strong choir to Manchester to practice going on stage. There was a lot of hanging around but Josh and Ed kept spirits up with their rendition of Ghost Busters, but their merriment was soon crushed by Amelia.

As well as singing in the competition, the Choir was given the opportunity to sing in St Ann’s Square amidst the Christmas market stalls. They sang a few Christmas songs such as Silent Night, Ding Dong Merrily on High and Coventry Carol. This was widely appreciated by the passing shoppers who stopped to listen. There was a little free time in which everyone used to look round the Christmas market, do a bit of shopping, or for the uncultured people, visit McDonalds.

The choir then headed back to the RNCM to sing to the panel of judges. There was a large audience in the RNCM’s Concert Hall, but they were also surprised at the size of the ULMS Choir, the largest in the competition. They sang Oh Bla Di, with a solo from Rafael Oyelade followed by Michael Tippett’s Deep River, featuring soloists, Suzy Wimbourne, Emma Bates, Richard Osborne and Simon Gower. The choir performed really well, with conductor Amelia Phillips leaving the stage very happy.

The choir then listened to the other choirs performing, before heading off for a meal at Giorgio’s. Everyone had a thoroughly enjoyable time and thanks must go to Amelia for bullying the choir and getting great things from them, and to Laura Coverley who wonderfully organised the trip, and despite having eighty people to control, didn’t lose any...but did gain some bread, although that’s another story.

Wind Band win Gold at NCBF

Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:17:14 +0000

On Sunday 7^th November the Lancaster University Symphonic Wind Band made their debut at the National Concert Band Festival, held in the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. The Band produced a great performance on stage, receiving many positive comments from the judges, and also a prestigious Gold Award.

Achieving a Gold Award was an even greater challenge as students had only returned to Lancaster a month before the competition. The short time span also meant that freshers who had just joined the band had only played with them for three weeks when they stepped on stage in Glasgow. Despite this, the judges Alan Duncan and John Miller noted that the performance was of a high standard with “many good points and a great deal of good playing throughout”.

Conductor, Max Stannard said, “The fact that the band could produce such an amazing performance in such a short space of time shows the great potential of the band and all the players should be very proud of this achievement”. Alice Carthy praised the bands commitment, commenting “It was a lot of hard work, but it was definitely worth it.”

This trip was organised by the two Wind Band Reps, Flic White and Ellie Cooper, who deserve a lot of credit for the band’s achievement and ensuring the smooth running of the trip. Praise must also go to all the soloists: Laura Coverley, Abi Barrington, Flic White, Clare Abel, Dom Treharne and Jenni Hughes. All the members of the band play exceptionally well and were great ambassadors for ULMS and Lancaster University throughout the day.

The Wind Band celebrated their success with a social at the following rehearsal, but went straight back to work on new music for their upcoming concerts. Following the Gold Award, the band received news that they had been invited to perform at the National Festival of the NCBF, which will also be held at the RSAMD, Glasgow.

PROMS 2010

Sat, 19 Jun 2010 19:14:34 +0100

The ULMS Proms is the highlight of the year’s concert series, and this year was no exception. On good authority we have been told it was the best in recent memory, and some people’s memory goes back seven years.

Once again the concert was well attended, including the Mayor of Lancaster who was most impressed with the night, so much so ULMS will now perform a special concert at Ashton Hall for the Mayor’s designated charity.

The concert kicked off with a fanfare which made the audience jump out of their seats: Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man. This was followed by the Symphony Orchestra who played selections from Bizet’s Carmen Suite, under their Assistant Conductor, Alexander Phillips. The smooth transition between the Orchestra and the Swing Group was covered by the newly formed ULMS String Orchestra and a random assortment of words from the evening’s compere, Duncan Taylor. The swing group played three pieces: A Salute to Benny Goodman, one of the great Big Band leaders, Tickletow, and one of Billy Joel’s biggest hits, Just The Way You Are. Conducting the ensemble were Dominic Treharne and Michelle Butler.

The Trombone Players Gentlemen’s Club followed with a Medley of Queen’s songs entitle Gentlemen: The Queen, before the Big Band under Phil Allcock and Liam Johnson took to the stage. The Big Band featured all Three of its vocalists: Ron Carey sang I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Beth Evans sang New in London, and finally Lucy Rowan gave a rendition of Someone to Watch Over Me. The band brought their set to a close with Vehicle which featured every section of the band. Another small group only formed this year, the Flute Choir, provided some lovely music to cover the change before the choir closed the half. Under Amelia Philips and Suzy Wimbourne, the ULMS Choir, which was voted the Best Ensemble 2010 by ULMS members, performed two pieces not normally billed together: Tippet’s Deep River and Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da.

The second half began with the Symphonic Wind Band, under its Principal Conductor, Max Stannard, performing the impressive Convergence by Roland Barrett. The Wind Band has been championing the music of English composers this year, a theme which will continue into next year with a spotlight on the music of Holst, and “Fantasia on the Dargason” from Holst’s Second Suit in F, conducted by Hannah Ogden gave us a taste of things to come. This was followed by the Barbieshop Choir, which again is a new ensemble to ULMS this year, showing the societies real belief in developing new ideas and talents.

The Brass Band followed, and showed why until recently they held the title of best ensemble, once again bringing an entertaining performance starting dramatically with lights dimmed and the music from Where Eagles Dare. The film theme continued with a Trombone feature, I Will Follow Him (and no there was not a Euphonium feature in Where Eagles Dare, Jonny was missing a chair). The Brass Band closed with I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free, and although it seemed to stray from the film theme with a beautiful horn solo of Amazing Grace played by Zoe Coupland, it soon gave way to a tuba solo and thus begun the well know theme to the show made famous by Barry Norman, Film Night. The raffle and Folk Group provided time to set the stage for the Traditionals. The folk group added a twist to their set playing A-Ha’s Take on Me.

The Traditionals, featuring the ULMS Symphony Orchestra conducted by its Principal Conductor, Simon Gower, a massed choir of ULMS members and the audience singing when appropriate, is a finale to the concert in the style of the BBC Last Night of the Proms. There was much flag waving and joyous singing as the orchestra played Fantasia on British Sea Songs, including Rule Britannia which was ably sung by vocal soloist Toby Collard. During the clarinet cadenza, some of the ULMS members may have got a bit bored as Nick Webb showed off his skill. Some members took out drinks, read the paper, fired party poppers, or tried to disturb Nick’s playing. Others, let’s not name names: Christopher Osborn, Ole Hunt, John Berry, and Lee Allison, removed their pants Full Monty style as Nick played The Stripper, revealing union jack boxers, before running round the Great Hall playing football and rugby. They were joined by Duncan, sporting a large Guinness hat, who clearly was overexcited and needed a long lie down in a darkened room. Jerusalem was followed by Pomp and Circumstance, in which the balloon net was unleashed, dropping them onto the audience who immediately forgot that they were in a respectable concert and began throwing them about whilst singing Land of Hope and Glory. Order was restored with the National Anthem.

The concert was brought to a close with a short speech from the ULMS President Max Stannard, and the presentation of the President’s Award, which this year was awarded to Christopher Wadeson, for his unfaltering commitment to ULMS.

ULMS President Max Stannard paid tribute to the committee’s enthusiasm, team-working and can do attitude, commenting, “It takes a lot of hard work and preparation to pull off a concert like this, but everyone was there to pitch in and no job was too small. There was a real sense of camaraderie with many members also lending a hand. I sure the committee will be delighted that their hard work has paid off producing a brilliant concert which they should all be proud of.”

Katherine Brandwood, who had experienced her first ULMS Proms said, “It was a real success and very enjoyable.” Amelia Clapham was also singing the praises of the concert saying “Proms was a great experience. I enjoyed playing in it and thought all the ensembles sounded great and were very professional.” Straight talking former-President Sam Ogden tells us as it is: “it was a good evening, with some good music”.

By all account the Proms concert, which brought about the end of the societies 30th Anniversary Season, was enjoyed by all and well done to all those involved. It is a great opportunity for the society to build on this success and continue to produce outstanding performances for the next 30 years.

Whit Friday fun

Sat, 05 Jun 2010 19:14:11 +0100

ULMS Brass Band once again enjoyed a trip to the Whit Friday Marches, held in the villages of Saddleworth. Each village in the area hosts its own contest where bands are tested on their marching ability and their playing ‘on the stand’, which sometimes is an actual band stand, and in other cases is a field.

This was the second visit to the contest by the ULMS Band. The band already improved on last year’s record by performing at seven villages, one more than last year. The band was also very pleased with its best performance which came at Delph (famous for featuring in the film Brassed Off). The village was packed, with people lining the street on both sides cheering the band on. On the stand they then produced their best performance in front of a large appreciative audience, which saw them ranked 46 out of 79 bands which took part.

As some members were unable to compete due to exam clashes, the ULMS Band had bolstered its numbers with the addition of players from Bangor University and former members of Smithills School Band, who did not want to miss out on one of the most enjoyable nights of the brass banding calendar. Despite never playing as a unit before, the band quickly gelled and produced some outstanding performances.

Brass Band Rep, Jenni Hughes, said “I’d like to thank everyone in the band. I’m very proud of them and everything seemed to come together and we sounded awesome.”

Guest player, Matthew Ryan added, “It was a great experience to play with Lancaster University. There was a great atmosphere and I thought the band produced some good performances.”

Alongside the band, some ULMS members took the trip, to support the band, and they also enjoyed seeing some of banding’s elites, including Stavanger, one of the top bands from Norway. This trip has now established itself as an annual event and I’m sure even now preparations will be underway for next years outing.

Roses in the rain

Sat, 01 May 2010 19:13:52 +0100

The Roses Competition takes place between Lancaster and York Universities every year, and is usually focused around sporting activities. This year it was Lancaster’s turn to host the event and there was a new musical addition to the proceedings. The Lancaster University and York University Bands joined together, in a spirit of co-operation and friendship never before seen at Roses, to form a massed band.

Following a social the night before, the bands took to the sports fields to play famous sporting tunes: Match of the Day and Gonna Fly Now from Rocky. This was followed by a concert, again on the field, but thankfully in The Hub (the Marquis which was the nerve centre of the Roses operation), which provided excellent cover from a torrential downpour as the weather took a turn for the worse.

The concert was conducted by Lancaster’s Conductors, Laura Hounsome and Mike Turner. It featured solos from Charlotte Critchley (of Lancaster) on Cornet and vocalist Rachel Jayne Wyllie (of York) who gave a rousing rendition of Rule Britannia. Graeme Osborn (of York) also performed two solos, Big Spender on Cornet, as well as blasting out the Flugal solo in Soul Bossa Nova, on Trumpet. There was also the Trombone feature I Will Follow Him which, it is safe to say, has established itself as a band favourite (or at least Trombone section favourite). The concert featured some staple pieces of Brass Band repertoire such as Floral Dance, and some better known music, which included the Best of Bond.

Chris Osborn, Principal Bass of the ULMS Brass Band, whose brother was the aforementioned cornet and trumpet player at York, was responsible for organising the event. He said, “It was a great chance to meet and socialise with other university brass banders and play a really enjoyable programme to an enthusiastic audience”.

Festival and fireworks

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 19:13:15 +0000

Saturday 13th March saw the first ever Lancaster University Campus Festival, an opportunity for societies and bands to entertain their fellow students and show what they could do. Four ULMS ensembles participated in the event: Wind Band, Choir, Swing Group and the Symphony Orchestra.

The Wind Band went first opening with Selections from Wicked, followed by the Lion King Highlights and closing with Oregon. This was a great opening for the festival, although slightly delayed and suffering from the problems of wind, sun and flying pegs. The Choir also suffered some problems; the keyboard briefly died, but nevertheless they produced a fine performance. The Swing Group were the third ULMS ensemble to play and were slightly later on in the day. They played a few of their favourites, such as Play that Funky Music, which they most certainly did!

The ULMS Symphony Orchestra had the honour of closing the festival, playing along to a firework display. This was an amazing experience for the orchestra members, as although the stage obstructed the view of the fireworks the atmosphere was amazing. Principal Conductor, Simon Gower, may have wished he was slightly further away from the fireworks on the edge of the stage, but he survived and was delighted with his players. The crowd gave the orchestra the largest cheer any ULMS ensemble has ever had.

Campus Festival was a busy, but rewarding day for the music society, and I’m sure that if it happened again in the future ULMS would love to participate again..

Cambridge University and ULMS Brass Band

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:12:54 +0000

The ULMS Brass Band was joined by Cambridge University Brass Band on Friday 12^th March in a joint concert which took place at Lancaster University Great Hall. Cambridge University Brass Band was touring the North West visiting Rochdale, Bolton, Hebdom Bright and Todmorden, as well as Lancaster.

Pass Time with Good Company, written by Henry VIII, to the more lively adaptation for brass band of the Beatle’s Ticket to Ride. There were solos by Laura Hounsome on Tenor Horn playing An Untold Story and Richard Harris on Trombone playing The Acrobat. The finale involved a mass band made up of the two ensembles playing two joint pieces, well known Brass Band classics, The Floral Dance and Clog Dance.

The concert was well attended by ULMS members who took advantage of the free entry. Even Phil Allcock, conductor of the ULMS Big Band, said how he was shocked and commented he “did not know that a brass band could sound that good”. After the concert the two bands went for a few drinks in County Bar and an opportunity to socialise.

Big Band performs at Sunderland Jazz Festival

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:12:19 +0000

The Big Band once again took to the stage at the Great Northern Big Band Jazz Festival, held at Sunderland University. They were performing alongside a whole host of top Big Bands, from Wigan Youth Jazz Orchestra, Newcastle University, Durham University, the Strictly Smokin’ Big Band, and the Big Band from Leeds College of Music.

The ULMS played an eclectic repertoire which showed off the bands many abilities. They started with a punchy opening playing the funk piece, made famous by the Average White Band, Pick up the Pieces. This was followed with Li’l Darlin, a quiet jazz number which completely changed the mood, composed and arranged in 1958 by Neal Hefti for Count Basie. This featured a trumpet solo by Jenni Hughes which was praised by judges Paul Jones of the BBC Big Band and Mick Donnelly. This was followed by a vocal piece, New in London, sung by Beth Evans, who was once again praised by the judges. The final piece was Gordon Goodwin’s Count Bubba, which featured all the sections, but a special mention was given to the rhythm section, in particular drummer Rachael Keefe, by the adjudicators.

The band was then able to watch the other bands, who were all of a high standard. The clear winners, taking three of the four awards on offer were Leeds College of Music, who produced an amazing performance, and were deserved winners of the competition. The ULMS Big Band held its own against stiff competition, a fact that is even more impressive by the fact that many of the members of this band are not music students, unlike the likes of Leeds College of Music who are performance specialists.

The trip was a great experience for the band. The organiser of the competition, Bill Watson, praised ULMS Big Band, saying that “A number of people spoke to me about how much they had enjoyed your performance and looking forward to hearing you again next year.” Phil Allcock, Big Band Conductor, said “the Big Band did themselves proud. They held their own against other university big bands and received very favourable feedback from the judges. This is especially good considering that 75% of the band are new this year, and many play as a hobby whilst studying a degree other than music”.

Big Band Members:

Conductor: Phil Allcock

Saxes: Michelle Butler, Laura Dady, Luke Johnson, Siobham Latham, Heather Law, Hannah Ogden, Alice Powell, Jonathon Phippen

Trumpets: John Berry, James Fialho, Jenni Hughes, Hannah McKenzie, Mike Turner

Trombones: George Bell, Richard Hall, Ole Hunt, Max Stannard

Rhythm Section: Stewart Colley, Rachael Keefe, Alex Phillips, Sam Walters

Vocals: Beth Evans

Wind Band helps Heroes

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 19:11:15 +0000

The ULMS Wind Band Performed a charity concert in aid of Help for Heroes on Saturday 27^th February. This took place in the Great Hall and made over £200 for the forces charity.

The concert featured an eclectic mix of pieces from Disney medleys such as The Lion King Soundtrack Highlights and Disney at the Movies, and West End musicals such as Selections from Wicked to the more serious works of Percy Grainger’s Children’s March and an arrangement of the Final Hymn from Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, by Principal Conductor Max Stannard. There were also military themed pieces such as Dam Busters, Colonel Bogey and Hymn to the Fallen.

The catchy Soul Bossa Nova, made famous as the theme to the Austin Powers films featured a solo section with Mike Turner on Trumpet, Nick Webb on Tenor Sax, Max Stannard and Jonathon Parton on Trombone and Chris Osborn on Tuba. There was also a plethora of solos throughout the evening from Laura Coverley on Flute, Abi Barrington on Clarinet, Clare Abel on Oboe, Emma Bates on Piccolo, and Dominic Treharne on Alto Saxophone. The concert was a great success thanks to a fine performance by the ensemble.

Christmas concert 2009

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:12:37 +0000

For the first time in its thirty year history, the University of Lancaster Music Society held its annual Christmas Concert in the amazing setting that was Lancaster Cathedral, on the evening of Friday 4^th December. The concert featured a variety of Christmas music from the Big Band, Brass Band, Choir and Symphony Orchestra. It was well attended with over two hundred people in the audience, including Music Lecturers from the University and the Deputy Mayor.

It opened with the Big Band playing several upbeat Christmas songs and a Glenn Miller Medley. It also including Winter Wonderland sung by Ron Carey. This was followed by the Brass Band who played some traditional pieces such as Three Kings March, and more modern arrangements such as the duet of Frosty the Snowman, played by Ole Hunt (Bass Trombone) and Chris Osborn (Tuba).

The second half opened with the choir singing Gloria, arranged by their conductor Amelia Phillips, followed by Coventry Carol, Rutter’s Jesus Child and Silent Night before finishing with Crown of Roses by Tchaikovsky. They were followed by the Symphony Orchestra who played three movements from Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks. Once again there was more Tchaikovsky, this time his Nutcracker Suite, which featured a harp cadenza by Hannah Johnson-Hughes. The concert concluded with carols directed by the Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Conductor, Simon Gower, joined by the ULMS choir and members of the congregation.

The concert proved to be a great success, enjoyed by all who attended. Max Stannard, who was responsible for organising the concert, said “I hope we will be able to build on this next year and make the Christmas Concert a tradition”. He also thanked the committee for all their hard work in ensuring that the concert was possible. Hopefully this will be the first of many ULMS Christmas Concerts at Lancaster Cathedral.

Brass Band concert

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:11:53 +0000

On Saturday 21^st November, ULMS Brass Band performed its first concert outside of the university. It took place at St Thomas’s Church, in the centre of Lancaster. It was the first time that an ULMS ensemble had organised its own concert outside of the university.

Luckily, the gamble had paid off. It was well attended and the performance was of an exceptionally high standard, given that the band had lost many principal players the year before who had graduated and had only seven weeks to prepare the new repertoire. The concert featured a wide range of music from film music such as Best of Bond, Soul Bossa Nova and Great Western Themes, to traditional Brass Band works such as the March Barnard Castle and Salvation Army Spiritual Deep Harmony. There were solos from Principal Cornet Charlotte Critchley (Share My Yoke) and Laura Emsley on Flugal (Concerto D’Aranjuez). There was also a lively trombone trio, I Will Follow Him, from the film Sister Act, featuring Max Stannard, Ole Hunt, George Bell and Richard Hall.

Thanks must go to Brass Band Rep Laura Emsley, and Conductors Mike Turner, Laura Hounsome and Max Stannard who made this concert possible. This concert was a huge success, enjoyed by both players and the audience.

World champions perform at Lancaster

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:10:55 +0000

On Saturday 7^th November, the reigning School Brass Band World Champions, Smithills School Senior Brass Band, performed a concert at Lancaster. This concert was to start the celebrations of the 30^th anniversary of ULMS. The Band has won countless titles, including National Festival of Music for Youth Outstanding Performance Awards, the National Youth Brass Band Champions of Great Britain, the French Open, and Tameside Youth Brass Championships. They have also performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London. The band regularly embarks on foreign tours, including New Zealand, Japan, France and America. They have won Gold at the World Music Contest, held every four years in Kerkrade, Holland four times, most recently in 2009.

The Band was delighted to see many former players who are now studying at Lancaster in the audience. They were equally delighted with the recording done by ULMS technician Duncan Taylor and the video by LUTube which will soon be released as a DVD. In addition to the four cameras filming and recording the concert from multiple angles, the Great Hall at Lancaster University features two, huge video screens high up on either side of the stage, so the audience could watch a variety of player close-ups throughout the evening.

Once again, the Senior Brass Band and all its principal players in particular were in outstanding form throughout the entire concert featured soloists at Lancaster were Elizabeth Tonge (13, Principal Cornet, Have I Told You Lately?), Robin Upham (16, Principal Horn, Afton Water), Sam Hindley-Birchall (16, Principal Trombone, It’s Not Unusual), Akil Thompson (15, Principal Euphonium, Where Is Love?) and Matthew Hardman (16, Principal Bass, Nellie The Elephant), all of whom once again played to perfection and the programme featured a host of other new and exclusive arrangements including Africa (Toto), Rule The World (Take That) and I’m Still Standing (Elton John). The concert was once again a great success for the Smithills School Senior Brass Band.

PROMS 2009

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:04:38 +0100

The ULMS annual ‘Last Night of the Proms’ themed concert took place on Sunday 21^st June. The final concert of the year, the ULMS Proms featured performances from all six of the major ensembles, as well as from a variety of small groups.

The Orchestra, conducted by Kate Telford, opened the concert with Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hänsel und Gretel. This was followed by the Wind Band who played Pirates of the Caribbean, a favourtie from the concerts over the year, followed by the ‘wax-shifting’ Mars from Holst’s Planets Suite. Their conductor, Jade Dennis, was voted conductor of the year by the members of ULMS. The Choir followed singing The Seal Lullabye and a medley from the hit musical Les Miserables under its conductor Katy Bradley. Swing Group brought the half to a close with Birdland, Night in Tunisia and What a Wonderful World all conducted by Sian Williams.

The second half got off to an entertaining start as the Brass Band took to the stage with their rendition of the lively and upbeat Joy Peace and Happiness. The piece started with only drummer Joshua Hustwick onstage, who performed a drum solo as the bass section walked on. The basses began playing the theme before the trombones walked on and took over. Each section then walked on in turn, each taking over the melody as they did. This was a spectacular entrance contrasted with the slow and reflective Irish Blessing, conducted by Lauren Evans. The band then finished with the crowd pleasing Kalinka, conducted by Mike Turner.

The Big Band was next, under conductors Phil Allcock and Mike Turner. They performed a medley arranged by Phil Allcock of a selection of pieces from the year, including favourite amongst the band such as Admirals Horn. two songs featuring singers from both the Big Band and the Swing Group. The male singers sang Everybody Wants to Be a Cat from the Disney classic ‘Aristocats’, while the female vocalists sang Zero to Hero from another Disney film, ‘Hercules’.

In the change over between the main ensembles the society’s small groups had a chance to show off. These included performance by the Folk Group, String Quartet, Wind Quintet, Saxophone Quartet and a Vocal Trio. It also saw the debut performance of the newly formed Trombone Players Gentleman’s Club who played Sex Bomb and Feeling Good to an enthusiastic reception.

Finally the concert concluded with the Symphony Orchestra, under Philip Purvis performing the traditional pieces from the Last Night of the Proms; Fantasia on British Sea Songs with a clarinet cadenza played by Vivien Saunders which featured pieces played by all ensembles throughout the year. As this took a while, members of the orchestra amused themselves by reading SCAN, making paper aeroplanes, cracking open cans of beer and impersonating X-Factor judges. Eventually it was time for Rule Britannia, sung by Amelia Phillips. The choir, joined onstage by all the members of the society who were not playing in the orchestra, together with the audience sang the chorus. Jerusalem and Pomp and Circumstance also provided an opportunity for singing, flag waving and the dropping of many balloons onto the audience. A fitting end to a fun filled night of music.

A big thank you goes out to the committee for all their hard work in organising this concert, the conductors for their work in ensuring such a high standard of performance, the players for their commitment and enthusiasm and the audience for their support.