A new year, a new venue

2015 was an exciting year for the band, heralding the start of our sponsorship by the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, and hence our change of identity from Perth Concert Band to the WA Fire and Emergency Services Concert Band.  The new identity was accompanied by new uniforms, new relationships, new exposure and new performance opportunities.  While we’re on a learning curve, it’s clear from our internal murmurings and from feedback we’ve received that the sponsorship has been greatly appreciated by all parties.

2016 is here and another change is upon us, although not nearly as earth-shaking as the sponsorship.  Membership has grown dramatically in the last few years and we’ve outgrown our rehearsal venue in Mount Lawley, our home for the last seven years.  We were so cramped that it was becoming difficult to squeeze in any more saxophonists, a dire and unacceptable situation.  The committee have hunted around and secured a much larger venue in Morley, only about 5 minutes away from the old venue, and rehearsals have already begun there.  So we can now relax, stretch out our legs, stretch out our trombones, and look forward to all the great things we’ll get up to this year.

Musicals in Morley

Morley Recreation Centre will come alive with the sound of music on the 15th of November, as the WA Fire and Emergency Services Concert Band present “A Night on Broadway”.

For one night only, one of Perth’s premier concert bands will transport audiences to the famous New York theatre district with music from classic Broadway hits such as Les Miserable, underrated works of genius such as Chess, and more contemporary shows like Hairspray, and even Disney’s Frozen. The WAFES Concert Band will be performing at 6pm at the Morley Recreation Centre, corner of Wellington Rd & Mangini Street, Morley.
Is Frozen even a musical?  Our librarian says it is but our vice president isn’t sure, and we need everyone to come along and help them settle the argument.

$20 adults, $10 concession. Tea and coffee provided. Bring supper/snacks to share with your friends

Best of British

‘Allo ‘allo ‘allo, what’s all this then?  It seems the WA Fire and Emergency Services Concert Band (formerly known as Perth Concert Band) is going all pommie for their Best Of British concert!

At 7pm on Sunday August 9th, the WAFES band will bring the South Perth Civic Hall to life with a selection of popular British tunes.  You’ll hear a variety of music, from The Rolling Stones to Gilbert & Sullivan, and back to The Beatles with a lot more in between.  Special guests Justin and Katherine Freind, widely regarded as two of WA’s best Gilbert & Sullivan impresarios, will spice up the evening with their outstanding vocal athletics.  Audience participation will be encouraged and lyrics to some numbers will be distributed at the door.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for concession holders and children under 16, and are available at the door (cash only). Devonshire tea will also be available for those with a sweet tooth during intermission. Free parking is available at the venue. Further information is available by emailing enquiries@perthconcertband.org.au.

This will be the first formal concert organised by the band since coming under the umbrella of our new sponsor, the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, and assuming our new identity.  While our name and uniform has changed, our commitment to providing outstanding music as a community band has not.  We hope to see you there!

Welcome to 2015

Following a hectic December of Christmas carols and pageants, we’ve all had our well-earned January break and rehearsals have resumed at Mt Lawley.  The first rehearsal saw many members’ eyes tear up as their instruments emerged from their cases after a long break, like long-lost friends arriving at the airport.  There was much blowing out of dust and untangling of tinsel left over from Christmas jobs.

2015 will almost certainly be a milestone in the history of Perth Concert Band.  We will have regular sponsorship for the first time in about 30 years, opening the door to a new public profile more public performance opportunities.

January also saw a few fearless band members embark on a new endeavour – the formation of a marching drum corps to lead the band at parades and excite audiences at gigs.

What other excitement could be in store for us this year?

Quarry Amphitheatre, Nov 16

Perth Concert Band’s last major event of 2014 will be spectacular.  We’re linking up with Canning City Brass Band to perform at The Quarry Amphitheatre in City Beach, on the evening of Sunday November 16.

Canning City Brass Band, the reigning WA state B grade champion brass band, are celebrating their 40th anniversary this year and have recently wowed the audience at a special concert to mark the milestone.

The concert will start with a set from PCB, followed by a set from CCBB and ending with both bands joining forces on stage for the final numbers.  Hold on to your wine glasses, this is going to be loud.  This is the first time PCB and CCBB have combined, and we’re all anticipating a great night out.

Gates open at 5:30pm and the concert starts at 6:30pm.  Bring a rug and your picnic dinner, and relax on the grass terraces at The Quarry as the weekend fades into Sunday evening and the stars come out.

Tickets will be available on Ticketmaster’s website from Tuesday October 28th.

2014 A-Grade state champions

Perth Concert Band are Western Australia’s champion A-Grade concert band for 2014, as a result of our success at the WA Band Association state championships in Bunbury.  This follows months of detailed work on the extremely challenging A-Grade test piece.  Even the adjudicator commented on the level of difficulty.

We last won the state A-Grade in 2011.  This year we improved on our 2011 efforts by also making a very commendable effort in the contest’s “Entertainment” category.  With ponchos, false moustaches, sombreros, maracas, and trumpeters jumping in unison, we delivered our best high-energy rendition of Tequila!  Even the tuba itself wore a sombrero.  The audience lapped it all up and joined in the cries of “Tequila!”.

The evening was finished with a group celebration at one of Bunbury’s pubs.  Photos can be found on the Gallery page.

A video of our entertainment piece is available on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTmBudWRIl0

 

Some serious progress

Our rehearsal venue has been cleaned out just in time to allow some serious improvement as we prepare for the upcoming WABA State Championships in Bunbury.  Our own-choice pieces are sounding as sharp as knives and even the test piece, the cause of much heated debate, is starting to sound how its composer probably intended.  Some parts are even, according to our esteemed MD, “better than I thought we’d be able to get it”.  Will the band’s combined creativity be enough to pull together an entertainment piece to bring the house down?

New committee

Congratulations and a huge thank-you to all our committee members after last week’s AGM.  It’s great to see a few new faces step up and get involved in the running of the band.  We promise it’s less painful than the running of the bulls…

A new-look committee poses so many exciting questions.  Will the vice president be on time for committee meetings now?  Will the new band sergeant be more effective than the old one?  And where did the old fundraising officer go???  Only time will tell, but it should be fun finding out.

WABA quiz night

Band members are encouraged to come along to the WA Band Association’s quiz night on the evening of Saturday Feb 22nd. This will be a great chance to mix with members from other community bands. Last year’s quiz was a lot of fun and most local bands had one or two tables taking part. We need a crack team of PCB quizzers to do us proud!
Anyone interested in coming along should email Graham.