Newark and Sherwood Concert Band were thrilled to perform at Newark Twinning Association’s ‘Last Night of the Proms’ at the Palace Theatre, Newark, on Saturday 5th February 2022.
It is always an honour for the band to be invited to perform for the Twinning Association. As the favourite concert formany members of the band – and indeed its supporters – there was a real buzz in the air, particularly as this concert was cancelled in 2021 due to the pandemic.
The concert opened with a march: A. E. Kelly’s ‘Arnhem’, followed by Jacob de Haan’s ‘Oregon’, taking the audience on a steam-train journey through the vast and stretching landscapes of the state of Oregon. Music from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ was enjoyed by all, as well as ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ to bring the first half to a close.
The return of the players after the interval caused laughter and smiles across the audience. In true NSCB style, all players were in fancy dress. There were elegant ball gowns for some, bowler hats and union jack waistcoats for others, whilst some really decided not to hold back. Amongst them were blow-up dinosaur costumes, Hawaiian shirts, wigs, and even a walking whoopie cushion! With the Rugby Six Nations: Ireland v England game just a couple of hours earlier, musical director Colum O’Shea arrived in his Ireland shirt, evoking some cheers, and many groans from the audience.
The second half of the concert featured a variety of music including ‘The Arcadians Overture’ and Strauss’ ‘Thunder and Lightening Polka’. The audience sang along to ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’, a ‘pandemic anthem’.
The band finished with Proms classics including Fantasia on British Sea Songs, Pomp and Circumstance and Jerusalem. These pieces went down brilliantly with the audience, who stood up out of their seats, sang along and waved their Union Jack flags. There were even red, white and blue balloons thrown from the balcony into the audience.
The concert was a roaring success enjoyed by all. NSCB would once again like to thank Newark Twinning Association for hosting another brilliant event, with a special thank you to the association’s chairwoman, and NSCB’s President, Rita Crowe, for her continual support in all aspects of the band.
Newark and Sherwood Concert Band is already excited for ‘Last Night of the Proms’ 2023!