Bridge City Brass Band

A belated Happy New Year!

        Lots of changes and annoucements forthcoming! so lets get started.

• Firstly our January 25th fundraiser for Broadway Theatre (Epic Themes) has been moved back to Saturday March 1st at 7:00pm. This will be an exciting show of epic film themes on the Broadway Theatre stage. All money will go to Broadway Theatre. $10 Adults $5 Students/Seniors.

Program to be announced in early February.

Secondly we are very proud to annouce a HUGE event involving the University of Saskatchewan on February 7th/8th/9th.

Origins will be a three day event featuring:

Friday 7th:  The University of Saskatchewan Jazz Ensemble and Wind Orchestra. 7:30pm free admission

                        Featuring guest Soloist David Thornton (Euphonium) and Gillian Mackay (Guest conductor)

Saturday 8th: Masterclass with David Thornton (UK: Euphonium)*

Sunday 9th:  Masterclass with Jens Linderman (Trumpet)

                      Saskatoon Brass Bands Inc: (BCB and SBB) in concert featuring David Thornton and Jens Linderman 3pm, admission by donation.

All events are in Quance Theatre at the University of Saskatchewan 

*David Thornton Masterclass venue tbc.

Meet the Bands

Our joint concert, year opener with the Saskatoon Brass Band was a great success. Play for the first time at Mayfair United Church, each band played a half of music followed by a couple of massed band pieces to raise the church roof. Thanks to the Church and SBB!

Remembrance Day

The band also took part in the Remembrance day ceremony at the Credit Union Centre this past Monday 11th November. Bridge City joined the Saskatoon Temple Band, Concert Band, Community band, Saskatoon Mens Chorus and over 8000 people in paying our respects and reflecting on the sacrifices of wars past and modern-day conflicts coming to an end.

Vacancies

At the current time the band is still looking for a couple of players to complete its roster for our next concert on January 25th.

                            - 1x Baritone player

                            - 1x Percussionist

Please contact Will Martin (281-9930) if you are insterested or come down to a rehearsal on a Thursday night!

New Season/New Faces

While the band took great strides forward once again over the course of the 2012/13 Season we unfortunately lost cherished players to relocation, work/family commitments and further education.

Bridge City Brass Band would like to thank the following players for their time in the band and wish them the best in their futures:

Linley and Barrie Redford, Claire Amiro, Pierre-Mathieu Gauthier, Erik Hyde, Kevin Marsh, Marissa Graham, Alex Tacik, Michelle Styles-Tacik, Marie-Hélène Nault Leblanc, and Teri Greenstein.

We look forward to seeing them again soon and hope they continue banding where ever they end up!

The band also welcomes the following players into the band for the 2013/2014 Season.

Erika Rybinski (Solo Trombone) Will Kaufhold (Bass Trom) Terry Heckman (Solo Cornet) Gary Gini (Solo Cornet) Brien Beattie (Repiano) Leah Johnson (2nd Cornet) Oleksandr Holovko (3rd Cornet) Jared Cook (Percussion) Soma Dalai (Bb Bass) Jason Mckinnon (Eb Bass)

  The bands first performance is in just over a week at the annual "Meet the Bands" Concert with Saskatoon Brass Band- 2pm - Sunday 20th October, at Mayfair United Church

Our fifth season flew by quickly..and there is lots to catch up on!

Joint Concert

Following our succesful Celtic Brass concert at the Broadway Theatre we enjoyed a joint concert with the Brunskill School 7/8 band, hosted at Centennial Collegiate. Each band played a short set before combining for several pieces conducted by Brunskill's Director of Bands and former conductor/horn player of BCB Erin McVittie. In addition to forging ties with one of our local community schools the concert served as great preperation for both bands for upcoming Festivals. We look forward to seeing the Brunskill students again in the future!

Program:  BCB - Black Bottom Stomp,  Londonderry Air Reunion and Finale (From Gettysburgh), Valero

                   Combined Bands - Summit March, Apex (Featuring MJ Krips - Cornet), Viva la Vida

P.B.B.F.

The Blockbuster Prarie Brass Band Festival (April 19th/20th) was the biggest and best yet. Featuring four bands from across the Prairies and some superstars of the music world the weekend event was a a huge success.

Friday saw Europes Most Imaginative Brass Band 'Mnozil Brass' entertain a sold out crowd at Third Avenue United Church, which literally blew the crowd away! Followed by a post concert reception were players jammed on stage with the Austrian brass mega stars, who stayed the remainder of the evening socialising with PBBF participants and solidified their reputation as class acts on and off stage.

Saturday saw the Mission Hill Brass, Queen City Brass Band and our two Saskatoon Brass Bands take part in rehearsals and clinics during the day, led by Virtuoso Euphonium and Flugel Horn players Glyn and Helen Williams from Double Championship Winning Band Fodens (U.K.). 

The evening saw the Gala Concert, with Each Band playing induvidual sets including solos from both Glyn and Helen Williams with the bands, finishing the concert with an Epic round of massed band pieces also featuring the Marion Graham Drumline.

Program:  BCB -  Black Bottom Stomp, Wandering and Fading of a Hymn, Carnival of Venice (Glyn Williams - Euph), Starlight

                    Massed Band - Valero, Riverdance, Reunion and Finale

Station Arts Centre Concert

BCBB was delighted to get the opportunity to play at the wonderful Station Arts Centre in Rosthern on May 26th. This wrapped up our major concert commitments for the year. The performance was met with great enthusiasm from the crowd and we look forward to returning to this fantastic venue in the future. 

O Canada, 

O.R.B. 

Light Cavalry

Over the Rainbow (Featuring Andrew Couperthwaite: Soprano Cornet, Brett Graham: Vibes)

Pastime with good company 

The Wandering and Fading of  Hymn  

Postcard from Mexico 

 -------------------- Interval -------------------------- 

Black Bottom Stomp  

Hymn for Diana  

Trumpet Blues and Cantabile 

Starlight  (Featuring James Wood: Flugel, Barrie Redford: Trumpet)

Riverdance 

 --------------Encore - Londonderry Air-------------

Taste of Saskatchewan

Brass players + Food Festival = perfect match.  Our final concert of the season was at the Taste of Saskatchewan food festival, fighting a few missing players and some sporadic downpours, it was a nice end to the season.

Program:  Knight Templar, Rhapsody for Euphonium, Amazing Grace, Floral Dance, Apex, Pastime for Good Company, Tonight, Valero

Bridge City Brass will be performing an afternoon of traditional and Celtic inspired music at Broadway Theatre on Sunday March 3rd at 2:30pm. Admission by Donation on the door. The band will be performing the following program:

                                              Men of Harlech..............................Trad. Arr Langford

                                              Heroes of Erin..................................Richard Rock

                                                                             I)Mo Ghile Mear

                     II)Bohemian      (Featuring Roxanne Inch - Tenor Horn)

      III) Lucht Siuil (Featuring MJ Krips - Cornet)

                                                                             IV) Molly's Wake

                                               Hymn To Barossa................................Andy Scott

                                               Gaelforce.........................................Peter Graham

                                                                     -  Interval  -

                                            Cry of the Celts...................................Hardiman arr. Peter Graham

                                                                             I) Nightmare (Lord of the Dance & Stolen Kiss)

                                                                             II) Suil a Ruin (Featuring Ian Krips - Tenor Horn)

                                                                            III) Breakout (Featuring James Wood - Flugel Horn)

                                                                            IV) Lament (Featuring Karen Martin & Pierre-Mathieu Gauthier - Euphonium)

                                                                             V) Victory

December saw our annual Christmas shindig go down a storm at our home at Grace Westminster United Church. Packed full of Christmas cheer and cakes on every table the band played a demanding program of music.

Fanfare: Christians Awake                    Paul Lovatt-Cooper

Over the Rainbow                                 arr. A.Morrison -  Featuring Andrew Couperthwaite (Soprano Cornet)

Kindom Triumphant                               Eric Ball

O Magnum Mysterium                           Morten Lauridsen

Penlee                                                  Simon Dobson

---------------------------------

Three King Swing                                   William Himes

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town                 arr. Mark Freeh, - Featuring Barrie Redford (Cornet)

Schneewalzer                                         Trad. Arr. Goff Richards

A Christmas Finale                                  Paul Lovatt-Cooper

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas       arr. Rick Mizell

Watch this space for audio/video soundbites..

Bridge City were honored to host Dr. Peter Meechan back in November for a rehearsal/workshop. Having performed several of his pieces over the past two years we were delighted to get his perspective on his compositions and also benefit from his work with the band.

This was Dr. Meechans second visit to Saskatoon. This time he was present for the World Premiere of two pieces 'Autumn Falling' and 'ISS Flyover' commissioned and performed by Dr. Darrin Oehlerking and the University of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra.

We look forward to hopefully working with him again soon in the future.

For more information on Peter's music look at http://www.petermeechanmusic.co.uk/

This past Thursday the band were delighted to welcome Composer and Conductor Paul Suchan to work with the band for half of the rehearsal. Paul has completed a commission for the band entitled "The Wandering and Fading of a Hymn", which will be premiered at the 2013 Prairie Brass Band Festival.

This was a perfect chance for Paul to rehearse his own piece and give the band key insight into the inner workings of the piece and its origins. We thank Paul for his time and giving us this great opportunity!

Bridge City Brass Band joins its bigger brother Saskatoon Brass Band to kick off our fifth season on October 13th. 7pm @ Grace Westminster United Church in Saskatoon, admission by donation.

Both bands will perform a half of music before combining for a massed band finish!

Bridge City Brass Program:

Blenheim Flourishes...................................James Curnow

Sleep.....................................................Eric Whitacre, arr. D.Scott

March: Ravenswood..................................William Rimmer

Hymn for Diana........................................Joseph Turrin

Renaissance.............................................Peter Graham

Coming Soon

FIRST REHEARSAL - THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 6TH